CLEVELAND — According to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, one in seven people in Northeast Ohio is food insecure, meaning they don't know where their next meal will come from.
Friday morning, News 5 was at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank Community Resource Center as several local organizations and the City of Cleveland spoke about what they plan to do to help address this issue and make a difference.
The organizations included Northeast Ohio's three major hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Hospitals, and University Hospitals. The hospitals and the City of Cleveland all committed to increasing their contributions to end food insecurity.
In a joint press release, the City of Cleveland and the hospitals laid out what their commitments to addressing food insecurity will look like, now and in the future.
“The City of Cleveland is committed to a community-led all-of-government approach to food justice for all residents,” said City of Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “This includes making it easier to acquire vacant land for urban farmers, transforming the West Side Market to support local food vendors, and recruiting healthy grocers to areas in Cleveland in historically redlined neighborhoods. Our communities continue to struggle with financial and food insecurity, and it is imperative that we address these issues collaboratively as it has significant implications for our future.”
Friday, the Cleveland Clinic announced a $10.4 million commitment to the cause. Over the next five years, the hospital plans to add to its current initiatives and implement several new programs, including a teaching kitchen, nutrition education, a grocery delivery service and a Nourish Plus Food Pharmacy, the release said.
The hospital describes the Nourish Plus Food Pharmacy as a place that will "prescribe healthy food options for pediatric and pregnant patients as well as the public."
“Caring for our community is a top priority at Cleveland Clinic and we embrace our role as a local leader, working to make a real difference in the lives of our patients and neighbors,” said Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic. “We are investing our resources to address this important issue and are proud to join forces with our partners to ensure that every child in Greater Cleveland has access to nutritious food. Together, we can strengthen the neighborhoods we call home and build a healthy community for everyone.”
One of the ways MetroHealth has partnered with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank is through its Institute for H.O.P.E., the health system’s Food as Medicine Clinic, which provides produce at several MetroHealth locations monthly. Additionally, the hospital will open a new health clinic at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank Community Resource Center early next year. Lastly, their $1 million, five-year commitment to the food bank will help provide millions of meals to Northeast Ohio residents.
“A lack of access to enough nutritious food can have a devastating impact on a person’s health,” said MetroHealth President & CEO Airica Steed, Ed.D., RN, MBA FACHE. “As Cuyahoga County’s super-safety-net hospital, we see the devastating effects of food insecurity every day in our clinics. If we truly want to improve the health and well-being of our community, if we truly want to eradicate health disparities, we must work collaboratively to address this crisis. I am delighted and encouraged to work in a community where all the major health systems share that commitment. Together, I know we can make a difference.”
University Hospitals approximates that over the next five years, their commitment to food insecurity will be $18 million through expansion of current efforts, said UH Chief Executive Officer Cliff A. Megerian, M.D., FACS, Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair.
UH opened its first UH Food for Life Market in the Fairfax neighborhood in 2018 to actively address food insecurity in the greater Cleveland area. The program addresses food insecurity by keeping residents' specific medical needs in mind. The program is a partnership with the food bank and Sodexo and has expanded outside of Cleveland. The hospital has three teaching kitchens in Northeast Ohio and a USDA Summer Feeding Program that has fed more than 41,000 children since 2017.
“To date, more than 7,600 individuals have been served through our UH Food For Life Markets, explained Megerian. “But we know we can and must do more, which is why in 2024, University Hospitals will be opening two additional Food for Life Markets in the Lake County and Richmond Heights communities. With these current efforts and our plans for expansion over the next five years, our commitment to address food insecurity is estimated to total approximately $18 million.”
News 5 Photojournalist Mike Harris spoke to Certified Nurse Midwife Celina Cunanan at Friday's event. Cunanan serves as the Chief Diversity Equity and Belonging Officer at University Hospitals and shared her thoughts regarding the importance of the organizations coming together.
"I think Cleveland is a very resource-rich city and we have yet to be able to figure out all ways that we need to click all the blocks together and really partner together. This is one of those efforts to really find cooperation between all the healthcare systems as well as our partners and community partners that are doing this work every day," Cunanan said.
