Centering Healthcare Institute Awards $100,000 in Food Security Grants

Boston, Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) today announced the successful completion of a recent round of grants to Centering sites. CHI awarded $100,000 to 11 Centering clinical practices that care for families struggling with food insecurity. Through the CenteringPregnancy® group prenatal and CenteringParenting® group well-child visits, families receiving their care can access healthy, appropriate food in their group healthcare visits, via a clinic food pantry or delivered directly to their homes from a local farmers’ market or grocer. This Food Security Initiative was made possible through support from the Bezos Family Foundation and aims to reach almost 800 families in ten states. 

“The pandemic compounded the food insecurity that so many families struggle with every day,” said Angie Truesdale, CEO. “The Centering model of care uniquely provides the space for healthcare professionals to build trust with their patients, giving them the opportunity to learn about and address social determinants of health together as partners. We are grateful to our philanthropic partner Bezos Family Foundation for their collaboration on this project and applaud Centering sites’ efforts to provide healthy food for their patients through a variety of programs and  partnerships.”  

Jessica Wilson, Chief Strategy Officer of CCI Health & Wellness Services (one of the awardees) remarked, “This effort means that families will have one less health barrier to worry about—and  serve as a helping hand in promoting food accessibility without financial or transportation constraints.”  

“Food insecurity has risen significantly for children and families during the global pandemic. With Centering Healthcare Institute’s community-based approach to serving families, we know this gift will support food access for many in this critical time,” says Bezos Family Foundation officer Lis Stevens. 

The grantees include Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), integrated health systems,  hospital-based clinics and birth centers. Examples of successful applicant food programs:

• A community health center in Maryland will be able sustain their HarvestRX (fruit and vegetable delivery) program for families attending Centering groups. Families can choose what fruits and vegetables they prefer and can opt in for break, milk and eggs.
• A hospital-based clinic in Philadelphia has a food pantry embedded in their CenteringPregnancy and CenteringParenting programs for families struggling with substance abuse disorder. These funds will supplement the pantry with a more robust and diverse supply of healthy food options for caregivers and their young families. Enhanced items will include beans, pasta, milk, fresh produce for distribution at each Centering session and weekly local produce delivery. 
• A hospital-based clinic in New York City will use funds to develop and pilot a 12-week home delivery program of fruits and vegetables to Centering families with children up to one year old. Providing enough food and vegetables for caregivers, as well as siblings allows the family to engage in and model healthy food consumption habits for the baby. The grantee also plans to provide baby food grinders for the creation of purees/mashes. 

“This project is enabling our team to create a more robust, hands-on program of nutrition education that will be embedded within our CenteringParenting and CenteringPregnancy sessions for these families,” shared Neera Goyal, MD, of Nemours Children’s Health.  

In over 150 published studies and peer-reviewed articles, Centering has been proven to lower the risk of preterm birth, close the disparity gap in preterm birth between Black and white women, and improve visit attendance, screenings for mental health, immunization rates, breastfeeding and patient satisfaction. The available evidence suggests that Centering has a combined effect of stress reduction, education and patient activation that brings about these impressive results. Many of the skills and learning from Centering, such as self-care, stress management and goal-setting topics, can be applied to other aspects of life. CHI is committed to ensuring that the at-risk populations, particularly in the most vulnerable, low-income, low-resourced communities that benefit most from Centering (as shown in evidence base) have access to the model. 

The full list of grantees includes:  

CCI Health & Wellness Services – CCI Greenbelt, MD 

Community HealthNet Health Centers – CHN Gary, IN

Community HealthNet Health Centers – CHN Ophelia Steen Center, IN 

Five Rivers Health Centers – Family Health Center, OH 

Hunterdon Medical Center – Hunterdon Pediatrics Associates, NJ 

Lifelong Medical Care – Lifelong Medical William Jenkins, CA 

Mallory Community Health Center, MS 

Jefferson Health / Thomas Jefferson Univ. – Nemours duPont Pediatrics, PA 

NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, NY 

Lawndale Christian Health Center – Ogden Campus, IL 

UMD Baltimore Washington Medical Group – Glen Burnie, MD 

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About Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI): 

CHI is a national non-profit organization, based in Boston, MA, with a mission to improve health, transform care and disrupt inequitable systems through the Centering model of group care. With over two decades of experience as the go-to resource for group healthcare, CHI has pioneered and sustained the evidence-based Centering model that combines health assessment, interactive learning and community building to help support positive health behaviors and drive better health outcomes. CenteringPregnancy® and CenteringParenting® provide the highest quality of care to families from pregnancy through age two of the child. The CenteringHealthcare® model of care is being extended to many different health conditions including groups for asthma, diabetes, opioid recovery, cancer survivors, chronic pain and other patient populations. Centering is currently offered at nearly 600 healthcare practice sites serving 60,000 families nationwide. Visit www.centeringhealthcare.org for more information.