HANYS honors Catholic Health with 2023 Community Health Improvement Award
Statewide healthcare association celebrates Long Island health system’s “Food is Care” initiative
The Healthcare Association of New York State is pleased to recognize Catholic Health with the 2023 Community Health Improvement Award for its “Food is Care” program.
Tackling food insecurity
According to the USDA, food insecure households are “uncertain or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food.” Food insecurity is associated with a higher probability of chronic diseases — with food insecure households often experiencing higher healthcare service utilization and healthcare costs.
Catholic Health has made addressing food insecurity in the community a top priority, leveraging partnerships with community-based organizations to collectively identify individuals who need assistance and provide them with short- and sustainable long-term resources. The Catholic Health “Food is Care” initiative is spearheaded by a system-wide working group with the long-term goal of screening every patient who comes into contact with the healthcare system.
Screening in EDs
Through the “Food is Care” initiative, Catholic Health has piloted a direct screening for food insecurity in all six of its emergency departments. Catholic Health implemented a Hunger Vital Signs Assessment tool in its electronic health record system, using CMS-approved questions to screen patients for food insecurity. If identified as food insecure, patients are offered a short-term supply of food, plus a direct connection to community partner agencies to access long-term solutions and resources like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. As of summer 2023, more than 65,000 individuals had been screened, resulting in food provided to several hundred families, along with several hundred SNAP referrals.
“At Catholic Health, we know that food is medicine,” said Catholic Health President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick M. O’Shaughnessy, DO, MBA. “As part of our Health Equity mission, we’re working with local partners to ensure that every patient we treat who presents as food insecure is provided resources to reverse that debilitating trend—both in the short-term and for the long haul.”
Catholic Health partners with three community-based organizations for its Hunger Vital Signs Assessment program. Its partnership with Long Island Cares provides the short-term supplies of food for patients; its partnerships with Catholic Charities and the Health and Welfare Council support direct SNAP referrals. Fresh produce from Catholic Health’s cooperative garden developed in partnership with Smile Farm augment the hundreds of bags of food supplied to individuals. Joint fundraising and grants have further supported these efforts.
Additional community initiatives
Catholic Health’s work to address food insecurity extends beyond its EDs. Its home health agency recently executed a pilot that demonstrated a 90% reduction in emergency and primary care visits once food insecure patients were supplied with steady, nutritionally-balanced meals and nutrition education. Catholic Health works with “God Loves We Deliver” to supply nutritionally-tailored meals to identified individuals. In addition to supplying fresh produce, the Cooperative Garden developed in partnership with Smile Farm offers patients at Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital Outpatient Center an opportunity to tend the garden and earn meaningful wages while helping others in need. Catholic Health has also begun addressing food insecurity as part of senior assessment events at municipalities throughout Long Island and grown its collaboration with Long Island Cares to provide on-site and in the community screenings and diabetes care seminars to Long Island Cares clients, regardless of where they seek healthcare.
"Access to nutritious food is a key contributor to one’s overall health,” said HANYS President Bea Grause, RN, JD. “Catholic Health is playing a significant role in keeping people healthy, not just treating people when they’re sick. I applaud Catholic Health and its community partners for their tremendous work to ensure Long Island residents are getting the food they need, so that they may experience better health outcomes.”
The Community Health Improvement Award, established by HANYS in 1997, recognizes outstanding initiatives designed to improve the health and well-being of communities. The award is presented to facilities and programs that target specific community health needs while emphasizing the importance of health equity, leadership, collaboration with diverse community partners and achieving quantifiable results.
About HANYS
The Healthcare Association of New York State is New York’s statewide hospital and continuing care association, representing nonprofit and public hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies and other healthcare organizations. HANYS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the health of individuals and communities by providing leadership, representation and service to healthcare providers and systems across the entire continuum of care.
About Catholic Health
Catholic Health is an integrated system encompassing some of the region’s finest health and human services agencies. The health system has more than 17,000 employees, six acute care hospitals, three nursing homes, a home health service, hospice and a network of physician practices. Under the sponsorship of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Catholic Health serves hundreds of thousands of Long Islanders each year, providing care that extends from the beginning of life to helping people live their final years in comfort, grace and dignity.