Addressing Hunger in Our Patient Population
MaineHealth operates sites where patients (screened with food insecurity) can access nutrition—emphasizing fresh, locally grown and culturally important foods—at no cost to them and their families.
Addressing Hunger in Our Patient Population
MaineHealth operates sites where patients (screened with food insecurity) can access nutrition—emphasizing fresh, locally grown and culturally important foods—at no cost to them and their families.
In Maine, one out of every five children and one out of every ten people do not have reliable access to affordable, healthy food. To address this problem, MaineHealth has identified a systemwide goal related to food insecurity, one of the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). One strategy is to screen more than 75% of appropriate patients for food insecurity and connect those screening positively to community resources. MaineHealth has begun operating sites where this patient population can access nutrition—emphasizing fresh, locally grown and culturally important foods—at no cost to them and their families.
Connecting Our Communities with Nutrition
The MaineHealth Food Pantry at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland opened its doors in January 2023 and has since become the 12th largest partner of Good Shepherd Food Bank.* The MaineHealth Food Pantry Portland operates on a walk-in basis, is open to all MaineHealth patients and care team members, and averages 650 shoppers a day when open. The pantry is partially volunteer-run with MaineHealth care team members and community members have donated over 3,099 hours for its operation.
“The first time I came to the pantry I went to my car and cried because of all the fresh produce and how welcoming the staff were.”
Hospital-based food pantries are also located at MaineHealth Franklin Hospital and MaineHealth Stephens Hospital. Together, the MaineHealth pantries are in the three geographical areas identified as having the highest unmet food needs in the MaineHealth service area based on data from the Community Health Needs Assessment.
“Even if we don’t speak the same language, I feel so welcome here.”
* Based on the amount of food shared out of the 670 associated pantries in Maine.
MaineHealth System-wide Food Distribution Data (from 07/2023 – 06/2024)
Where Else is Food Insecurity Addressed at MaineHealth?
In addition to the three pantries, food shelves are located at MaineHealth Pen Bay, Waldo and Lincoln Hospitals, with expansion work underway. In another system-wide initiative to address food insecurity, all MaineHealth primary care and inpatient departments provide healthy bags of emergency food to patients who screen positively for food insecurity at their visit.
MaineHealth’s work regarding food insecurity contributes to a well-rounded, holistic approach to health care where SDOH are acknowledged and factored into a patient’s comprehensive health plan. Recognizing food insecurity and connecting patients to accessible healthy food directly contributes to the MaineHealth vision of “Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.”
More than a Food Pantry
The Food is Medicine Program at MaineHealth Franklin Hospital was developed to provide patients with chronic health conditions and food insecurity access to healthy meals and education (including cooking and chronic disease self-management classes) for an entire year, free of charge. This program is available to patients 18+ in Greater Franklin County and supported by MaineHealth, Hannaford, and Good Shepherd Food Bank.