Avera Collaborates With Feeding SD To Offer Clinic Food Pantries

In the past, Avera has supported Feeding South Dakota and its mobile food pantry, which visits 55 counties. Yet in some locations, food is only delivered once per month, and it’s the most expensive way to distribute food.

“The need continues to be great, especially with rising prices,” said Lori Dykstra, CEO of Feeding SD. It reports that 106,000 South Dakotans are food insecure, and 65% of those individuals do not qualify for federal food assistance programs. “One in nine children and one in 12 adults in our state don’t have access to the food they need to thrive. We want to continue to find ways to reach people facing hunger, and Wellness Pantries are an effective model to provide access when food can impact them the most.”

“Food insecurity is one of the top issues identified in our Community Health Needs Assessment every three years,” said Ronald Place, MD, Regional President and CEO of Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center. “The Avera food pantry is a step in addressing food insecurity in our region, recognizing that access to food is a fundamental need. By offering convenient access to nutritious food during clinic visits in a way that upholds dignity and respect for our guests, we are living out our mission of compassionate, holistic care.”

In Sioux Falls, pediatric and obstetric patients seen in Plaza 1 on the Avera McKennan campus are screened by care teams for food insecurity. If they’re found to need food, they have access to an emergency allocation, including things like shelf-stable produce, non-perishable items and dairy products that can sustain them until they can access an ongoing resource. Families are also referred to food pantry options in their community.

In Parkston, Avera St. Benedict Hospital is also piloting this concept. Patients who present to the clinic or hospital are screened for social determinants of health. If they have concerns with food insecurity, they are offered an emergency supply of food from the wellness pantry, based on their household size. They also receive a listing of local resources for food insecurity, and Avera staff will help them get connected with a food pantry in their community.

“The goal is to provide them with an immediate food source and then also help provide them additional resources to ensure more stability for them in the future,” said Lindsay Weber, President and CEO, Avera St. Benedict Health Center.

The Healthy Start grant supported Avera’s expense for staffing and the space to distribute the food. Feeding South Dakota provides the food for the program. If the pilot proves successful, hopes are to further develop this resource through more clinic sites.

Access to healthy foods is one of numerous social determinants of health, which are non-health care factors that contribute to health and well-being, such as housing, education and transportation.

“The strength of this program is that it provides emergency food assistance, right then and there, when the need is identified,” said Lacey McCormack, PhD, MPH, RD, Director of Rural Research at Avera Research Institute and Project Director for Healthy Start. “Avera’s collaboration in this project will help directly support patients by promoting health and improving food and nutrition security.”