Making Food Systems Part of Your Community Health Needs Assessment is a practical guide to assessing local food systems and food security as part of the community health needs assessments that are conducted every three years by nonprofit hospitals. It provides links to user-friendly tools and strategies. The guide points to existing online sources of baseline data and metrics and case examples of collaborative partnerships between hospitals and food system stakeholders. It includes examples from food policy councils, food banks and pantries, and public health departments across the country. The guide is designed to support a local dialogue that encourages stakeholders to share experiences and identify existing tools, data, and resources. This process will create synergistic linkages and an ethic of shared ownership of the community’s health and well-being. Download Guide
Addressing Food Insecurity in Older Adults: Health and Health Care Costs provides much requested information describing the economic impact of food insecurity on health care costs. The brief emphasizes the impact on older adults. It concludes with a short description of policies and programs designed to alleviate food insecurity. Food security advocates and others addressing social factors that impact health can use this brief as a tool in discussion with both health system leadership and local, state, and federal policymakers. Download Guide
Creating Health Care and Community Partnerships to Tackle Food Insecurity is a resource for community organizers aiming to address food insecurity in partnership with health care organizations. The Action Brief provides facts about food insecurity and its negative health and economic consequences, and outlines examples of ways in which community and health care organizations are partnering to address food insecurity across the country. The brief concludes with actionable strategies for getting started in building health care and community partnerships, and addressing food insecurity, in your community. Download Guide