The program helps provide nutritious, healthy meals to under-resourced individuals and families with chronic health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. It also seeks to provide education on healthier food options and how to prepare them through cooking classes.
“As we have heard from others, the critical links between chronic disease and nutritional food security can’t be ignored,” Emily Keller, MD, member of the planning committee from Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, told the publication. “To prevent increased chronic disease in the community at large[,] we need to recognize the underlying [factors] that reside outside the hospital. That is why this program is so important, because it bridges that gap.”
A food pantry on site at the hospital is also in the works along with kitchen and classroom spaces.
