Through a partnership with Good Shepherd Food Bank’s Community Health & Hunger Program, MaineHealth care teams have been trained on food insecurity and its connection to chronic disease. We have added food access resources into our electronic health record (EHR) system and offer healthy food resources to patients who need them.
All MaineHealth primary care practices and inpatient departments have added food insecurity screening questions. All patients who come for routine visits and inpatient admissions are asked these questions. Learn more about the Hunger Vital Sign screening tool.
“Now that we screen for food insecurity and can provide food resources to patients in need, our conversations and communications in clinic around healthy eating are more holistic, inclusive, and supportive. Providing the food bags, having an understanding of how to connect patients to local food pantries and taking time to listen about their experiences around affordable food access strengthens, the provider-patient relationship, allowing us connect in very fundamental ways.” – MaineHealth care provider
“[It’s] about how the relationship with the patient changes when they know we are comfortable discussing what they may be going through in their struggle for food security.” – MaineHealth care provider