It’s no secret that eating a variety of healthy foods helps promote and maintain health, but for many of our patients, access to food is sometimes a challenge. Knowing care does not end when people leave our doors, we recently expanded our food voucher program to patients at all of our hospitals and physician offices.

The program helps provide two to three days’ worth of shelf-stable food to patients so they have enough to eat until they can get further assistance.

In a coordinated effort between our food and nutrition, case management, grants office and clinical operations teams, we helped distribute over 6,600 meals to patients.

Community partners, including the Central PA Food Bank, AmeriHealth Caritas and the FirstEnergy Foundation, also help WellSpan in providing food in our communities.

How the program works

Using a screening tool, our social workers connect with patients and determine if they have any immediate needs. If patients indicate they don’t have access to healthy food, team members fill out a food voucher form and help provide information and resources.

The screening tool also serves as a predictor of the likelihood that some patients may end up back in our care. In the last year, we screened more than 380,000 patients for food, housing and transportation insecurity. These health needs play a major role in a patient’s overall health and ability to recover from illness.

“I’m so proud of the program and the out-of-the-box thinking that came from our amazing team members to make the program what it is today,” says Barbara Bricker, manager of case management at WellSpan York Hospital. “It helps to know that if a patient is discharged on a Friday, they will have food to help get them through the weekend until they’re able to find additional assistance. It’s a great and meaningful thing that we’re able to offer.”

Sam Holt, a social worker at WellSpan York Hospital, has personally helped distribute many meals to patients who didn’t have any food at their homes when they were discharged. She enjoys helping people and is thankful she can provide this kind of assistance to her patients.

“The smile on patients’ faces is the best thing I take away from my encounters with them,” says Sam. “Some people take food for granted – that our next meal is usually always a guarantee. That’s not the case for everyone. Seeing this firsthand has been an eye-opening opportunity.”

Learn more about our health initiatives at wellspan.org.