WILMINGTON, DE — In the ongoing battle for better health and reduced health disparities, ChristianaCare is revolutionizing patient care with a comprehensive approach beyond the typical confines of the healthcare system in Delaware and Maryland. Recognizing the vital intersection of health and diet, the organization offers targeted food delivery programs for patients grappling with chronic health conditions.
The premise is simple yet groundbreaking: “food is medicine.” This philosophy underpins ChristianaCare’s novel programs, placing a premium on access to nutritious food in community health management, particularly in underserved areas.
Through the Delaware Food Farmacy and the Healthy Food, Healthy Hearts programs, ChristianaCare has empowered over 300 people with chronic health conditions to take control of their health. These initiatives provide tailored deliveries of wholesome food combined with practical nutrition education and social care services.
Patients are not just receiving food; they’re gaining the knowledge and resources required for healthier living. “Our focus”, according to Erin Booker, LPC, chief biopsychosocial officer for ChristianaCare, “is empowering people to maintain their health by giving them the resources they need for whole-person care.”
The Delaware Food Farmacy, a collaboration with Lutheran Community Services, goes beyond offering patients with uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, and congestive heart failure weekly deliveries of locally sourced produce and other foods. It provides one-on-one assistance from community health workers, providing guidance on healthier cooking, better grocery shopping choices, and the challenges of living with a chronic illness. In the last two years, the program has witnessed significant outcomes, with more than 200 participants reporting lower blood glucose levels, weight loss, and improved blood pressure.
Furthering the reach, the Food Farmacy program plans to expand in 2024 to include pregnant patients at the Center for Women’s & Children’s Health, who are Medicaid-eligible and at an increased risk for serious preterm health complications. A healthy diet, especially early in pregnancy, is linked to lower rates of preterm birth and preeclampsia.
Additional funding from the 2023 Highmark Delaware BluePrints Program will enhance the program’s cultural responsiveness to the Hispanic community, constituting 18% of ChristianaCare’s patient population. The infusion of resources will support updated and translated program messaging, recipes, cooking videos, and menu adaptations.
On the other side of the state line, in Cecil County, Maryland, ChristianaCare partners with Hungry Harvest in the Healthy Food, Healthy Hearts program. Engaging with patients where they are, the program delivers fresh groceries to under-resourced Medicare patients with complex health needs.
ChristianaCare’s commitment to its communities is made possible through a combination of federal funding, a grant from the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware BluePrints for the Community, and an ongoing financial commitment from ChristianaCare itself.
The focus is, and remains, more than just food. It’s about empowering patients not only for individual change but providing a foundation for healthier families, healthier communities, and a more equitable food system that benefits all. Indeed, food is so much more than a meal; for many, it’s the key to a healthier life.
Headline: “Food is Medicine: ChristianaCare Tackles Chronic Disease and Food Insecurity, One Delivery at a Time”
In the ongoing battle for better health and reduced health disparities, ChristianaCare is revolutionizing patient care with a comprehensive approach beyond the typical confines of the healthcare system in Delaware and Maryland. Recognizing the vital intersection of health and diet, the organization offers targeted food delivery programs for patients grappling with chronic health conditions.
The premise is simple yet groundbreaking: “food is medicine.” This philosophy underpins ChristianaCare’s novel programs, placing a premium on access to nutritious food in community health management, particularly in underserved areas.
Through the Delaware Food Farmacy and the Healthy Food, Healthy Hearts programs, ChristianaCare has empowered over 300 people with chronic health conditions to take control of their health. These initiatives provide tailored deliveries of wholesome food combined with practical nutrition education and social care services.
Patients are not just receiving food; they’re gaining the knowledge and resources required for healthier living. “Our focus”, according to Erin Booker, LPC, chief biopsychosocial officer for ChristianaCare, “is empowering people to maintain their health by giving them the resources they need for whole-person care.”
The Delaware Food Farmacy, a collaboration with Lutheran Community Services, goes beyond offering patients with uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, and congestive heart failure weekly deliveries of locally sourced produce and other foods. It provides one-on-one assistance from community health workers, providing guidance on healthier cooking, better grocery shopping choices, and the challenges of living with a chronic illness. In the last two years, the program has witnessed significant outcomes, with more than 200 participants reporting lower blood glucose levels, weight loss, and improved blood pressure.
Furthering the reach, the Food Farmacy program plans to expand in 2024 to include pregnant patients at the Center for Women’s & Children’s Health, who are Medicaid-eligible and at an increased risk for serious preterm health complications. A healthy diet, especially early in pregnancy, is linked to lower rates of preterm birth and preeclampsia.
Additional funding from the 2023 Highmark Delaware BluePrints Program will enhance the program’s cultural responsiveness to the Hispanic community, constituting 18% of ChristianaCare’s patient population. The infusion of resources will support updated and translated program messaging, recipes, cooking videos, and menu adaptations.
On the other side of the state line, in Cecil County, Maryland, ChristianaCare partners with Hungry Harvest in the Healthy Food, Healthy Hearts program. Engaging with patients where they are, the program delivers fresh groceries to under-resourced Medicare patients with complex health needs.
ChristianaCare’s commitment to its communities is made possible through a combination of federal funding, a grant from the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware BluePrints for the Community, and an ongoing financial commitment from ChristianaCare itself.
The focus is, and remains, more than just food. It’s about empowering patients not only for individual change but providing a foundation for healthier families, healthier communities, and a more equitable food system that benefits all. Indeed, food is so much more than a meal; for many, it’s the key to a healthier life.
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