Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Expands Efforts to Address Regional Food Insecurity

Oct. 28, 2024

More than $500,000 committed to improve access to food and help individuals overcome common barriers associated with food insecurity

Today, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) announced progress in its efforts to address food insecurity across the Puget Sound region and initial results from a 3-year, $500,000 grant secured by VMFH through the CommonSpirit Health Mission and Ministry Fund. Key initiatives include: 

• Medically-tailored food boxes
• Edible food recovery
• Cultural relevance across the food system
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment

“Our efforts to address social determinants of health, like hunger, are a cornerstone of our mission to build healthy communities and serve the most vulnerable,” noted Ketul J. Patel, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and President of the Northwest Region, CommonSpirit Health. “Access to fresh, nutritious food is essential to good health and well-being, and we are deeply invested in doing all we can to promote food security in the communities we serve.”

Food insecurity, or the lack of access to adequate or nutritious food, has been a persistent issue affecting thousands of individuals across the Puget Sound region. According to the 2024/2025 King County Health Needs Assessment, 10.6% of households with children in King County reported experiencing food insecurity. The 2023 Kitsap County Community Health Assessment reported about 8% of people in Kitsap County experienced food insecurity as of 2021. One in 10 Pierce County residents reported some level of food insecurity in the latest report from Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

Access to nutritious food is essential for maintaining good health, yet a lack of access often forces individuals to rely on less nutritious options, leading to more serious, long-term health consequences. According to Feeding America, people who experience food insecurity are more likely to experience malnutrition and chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

Medically-tailored food boxes

In 2023, a pilot program to provide medically-tailored food boxes was created to support VMFH patients with various forms of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. 

The program began as a way to assist individuals in the Heart Failure Clinic in Tacoma, and has since expanded to include cardiology clinics in Tacoma, Lakewood and Gig Harbor, and the Diabetes Education Clinic in Tacoma. Patients living in Pierce County with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or diabetes who attested to challenges paying for food, as well as transportation barriers, qualify for the program.  

“For many of our patients, they are faced with incredibly difficult decisions,” said Amanda Carter, an ambulatory clinical pharmacist in the Heart Failure clinic at St. Joseph Medical Center. “They are forced to choose between paying utility bills, or affording healthy foods. What we wanted to do through this program was to help reduce that burden.”

Since July 2024, 139 patients have been enrolled in the program. The boxes are curated by Cascadia Produce, and they are delivered to patients free-of-charge every two weeks, in partnership with Emergency Food Network. The medically-tailored food boxes include lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-sodium canned goods.

Data collected from individuals enrolled in the program showed a 61% decrease in hospital admissions and a 75% decrease in emergency department visits. Additionally, 60% of patients reported the quality of their diet had improved since beginning the program, and said they consumed less processed and packaged foods. 

The program has continued to expand since its initial launch. In September 2024, the Medically-Tailored Food Box Program began serving patients diagnosed with diabetes at Franciscan Medical Clinic in Port Orchard. In partnership with South Kitsap Helpline, the team aims to improve patient health outcomes while directly addressing food security and associated barriers and connecting patients with community social support services.  

In King County, the medically-tailored food box program was expanded to the Catalyst Diabetes Prevention Program, a partnership between VMFH, United Healthcare, Seattle Housing Authority, King County Housing Authority, and Neighborhood House.  

Edible food recovery 

Initially launched at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma in July 2023, VMFH created an edible food recovery program with the goal of reducing hospital food waste by redirecting unneeded food and meals to local non-profit organizations. The first full year resulted in more than 1,600 lbs of food diverted from landfills and nearly 1,500 meals served to Pierce County. Organizations receiving and redistributing meals included St. Leo’s Food Connection, Tacoma Rescue Mission, Oasis Youth Mission, among others.

Virginia Mason Medical Center and St. Michael Medical Center recently launched edible food recovery programs. The Virginia Mason Medical Center program is being partially funded by a grant through the City of Seattle. It was one of three standout projects selected out of 12 organizations and businesses who applied for the inaugural food rescue grant. 

The remaining five hospitals across the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health system expect to have programs underway by 2025.

Improving cultural relevance across the food system

Working with more than 40 food banks across the Puget Sound, VMFH has created support tools to help area food banks create more culturally relevant and welcoming environments for the increasingly diverse populations they serve. For example, VMFH created resource lists of culturally sensitive foods and has directly partnered with food banks to forge new partnerships and pathways for obtaining needed items to best serve their populations. 

Nourish Pierce County has partnered with VMFH for the last year to expand its work around cultural relevance across all of its food bank locations. According to Executive Director Sue Potter, “Our collaboration with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health has been integral to the success of our program and planning for the future. Beyond financial support, we receive hands-on support from leaders such as Food Systems Coordinator Bonnie Hamilton, RDN, CD, who helps us provide dietary guidance and nutritional ideas for our clients.” 

“Our ultimate goal is to take our learnings and help other food banks across the state enhance their programs,” she noted. “And for Nourish, it is about bringing together our learnings and best practices so that all of our locations are inviting and nourishing places for all we serve.”

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Washington state continues to be an underutilized resource for those facing food insecurity. VMFH is actively working to help close the gap in the region by working with patients in-clinic to enroll in SNAP while they also enroll in other programs like Medicaid. VMFH will soon have several clinics deemed as Washington Connection Partners to enroll patients directly for SNAP benefits. 

Other community work in action 

Through the work of the VMFH Community Health team and community partnerships, other programs outside of the four funded through the Mission and Ministry Fund have been created locally to help increase access to healthy foods for people across the region.

A produce coupon program–through St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way–provides community members coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables at area farmers markets. Children can receive $5 coupons for fresh produce at the Federal Way Farmers Market, and seniors can redeem $6 coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables. This year, VMFH has provided $10,000 to support the program in Federal Way.

“To truly be healthy, people need access to fresh, healthy food,” said Doug Baxter-Jenkins, region director of Community Health at VMFH. “Working with the Federal Way Farmers Market allows us to get nutritious food into the hands and mouths of people who need it.” 

In collaboration with VMFH, FareStart's mobile market is onsite twice a month at Franciscan Medical Clinic in Burien throughout the summer. The market offers low cost fruits and vegetables to staff, patients, and community members. Produce vouchers, SNAP, credit, and debit cards are all accepted. In addition, produce vouchers are given to food-insecure patients at the Burien clinic.

The creation, implementation, and sustainability of these programs is rooted in the mission and vision of VMFH. Access to healthy foods is a critical component to the health and well-being of individuals across the region, and VMFH is committed to healthier lives for all. 

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) is an integrated health system serving the Puget Sound region, including 10 hospitals and 300 care sites. Founded in 1891, VMFH embraces its long history of caring for the most vulnerable, especially the poor and underserved, and meeting the evolving health care needs of the vibrant, diverse communities it serves. VMFH is a proud home to the Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS, and the Benaroya Research Institute, an internationally recognized institution for autoimmune disease research. VMFH is part of CommonSpirit, one of the nation’s largest health systems, dedicated to advancing health for all people.