At the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, we talk about nutrition constantly, knowing that nutritious food can make all the difference for a family who is experiencing food insecurity. We’ve always known the importance of access to nutritious foods for health, and it is very exciting for us to have the partnerships and programs in place to prove it!
Launched in 2017, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada Prescription Pantry, “Food as Medicine” program helps neighbors facing hunger access nutritious foods that meet their health needs, by partnering with health providers, emergency food pantries and partners like Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation. These supports are especially important as many families are forced to make impossible choices between food and health care that make it harder to maintain their health.
“We know that access to fresh, nutritious food is not available to many people who live right here in our region,” said Frankie Ortiz, Health Equity Manager at the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. “This program helps us highlight the importance of these nutritious foods in everyone’s diet and bring together the partners that make access possible.”
The Food Bank of Northern Nevada currently partners with 14 health care providers who screen neighbors for food insecurity and provide prescriptions for food at 14 neighborhood pantries. These pantries stock the nutritious staples that are preferred for patients with diabetes, hypertension and/or heart disease.
The “Food as Medicine” program, a Feeding America initiative funded by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, is helping Food Bank of Northern Nevada strengthen community well-being.
“Food is a powerful driver of health,” said Joy Thomas, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Nevada Medicaid Health Plan. “Through our partnership with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and Feeding America, we are helping bridge funding and service gaps so more neighbors can access nutritious food and improve health outcomes across Nevada.”
Food and Health programs across the Feeding America network are showing encouraging signs that these interventions can support improved health for families. By offering neighbors consistent access to nutritious foods, Food Bank of Northern Nevada is helping lay the groundwork for better health outcomes and greater stability for households in the northern Nevada region.
