Nearly everyone knows what you eat is vital to your overall health, but increasingly fewer people can afford nutritious food.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13.5% of Americans were food insecure in 2023, which was one million more people than the year prior.
A unique partnership between healthcare providers and Food Bank of The Rockies seeks to address both challenges, prescribing weekly deliveries of fresh produce and healthy foods to locals with certain health conditions.
“Adults experiencing food insecurity are two to three times more likely to have diabetes; older adults with food insecurity are 57% more likely to have congestive heart failure,” Food Bank of the Rockies Western Slope Director Sue Ellen Rodwick said.
“Having that knowledge, we want to work with healthcare partners to remove some of the obstacles that may keep somebody from starting a healthy lifestyle,” she added.
The Food for Health program launched in Denver three years ago, but Rodwick said its success motivated an expansion into the Western Slope.
Larry Robinson / The Daily Sentinel
Maureen smiles after receiving a box of food hand delivered to her home by Food Bank of the Rockies for a posed photo as part of the organization’s weekly Food for Health program, designed to combat food insecurity with community members who are experiencing chronic health issues, photo on Jan. 23, 2025. All the food included is chosen by a Food Bank of the Rockies dietitian, with each weekly box containing a combination of fruits, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, lean animal and plant-based protein, grains, and a dairy product.
According to Rodwick, just under half of the 750 Denver participants reported drops in blood pressure and blood sugar after completing the program.
Rodwick hopes to duplicate those outcomes by partnering with Family Health West and Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital, so their providers can identify food-insecure patients whose health conditions depend on diet.
“It’s more financially and fiscally responsible for us to help our community in an upstream manner: being proactive with care; thinking about how we can address things before they escalate to where we’re spending a large amount of money for health care services…” St. Mary’s Regional Hospital Community Health Director Victoria Grasmick said.
Eligible health conditions include pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. If the patient meets those conditions, they are given a Food for Health prescription and begin receiving deliveries soon after.
For six months, program participants get weekly deliveries to their door, containing a dietician-designed haul: approximately five pounds of fresh produce, whole grains, low-fat milk, canned fruits and vegetables, shelf-stable chicken, tuna and herbs.
Food items included with Food Bank of the Rockies’ weekly Food for Health program includes a combination of fruits, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, lean animal and plant-based protein, grains, and a dairy product.
Food for Health Participant Maureen said the foods are delicious and different every week, making delivery day feel like Christmas.
“As near as I can tell, a lot of these brands are top of the line, coming maybe from private stores because they’re high-quality food,” Maureen said. “I can’t afford to buy some of the stuff I get here. It’s heaven, and I’m enjoying every minute of it — I really am.”
Rodwick added that each box contains a rotating spice, nutritional information and a recipe from the dietician that suggests what participants can make with the freshly shipped ingredients.
Family Health West Chief Executive Officer Korrey Klein said recipes crafted by a dietician are a critical inclusion, as many people have lived their entire lives with food insecurity and don’t necessarily know how to take advantage of healthy ingredients.
Maureen sifts through a box of food hand delivered to her home by Food Bank of the Rockies as part of the organization’s weekly Food for Health program, designed to combat food insecurity with community members who are experiencing chronic health issues, photo on Jan. 23, 2025. All the food included is specifically chosen by Food Bank of the Rockies to match each community members’ nutrition and dietary restrictions.
“Unless you’re super excited about eating raw food, a lot of the healthier foods are more difficult for people to eat because they just don’t know how to prepare them,” Klein said.
After six months, participants are enrolled in a text-based nutrition program and receive a monthly $35 grocery gift card for six additional months. Rodwick said the produce gift card and nutrition texts ease participants into shopping and eating healthy independently.
The Western Slope iteration of Food for Health currently boasts a 150-person capacity, which Rodwick said is not yet full. Rodwick added that they hope to secure partnerships with more healthcare providers as the program grows.
Grasmick added that once the program is established in the region and yields more data, there is a potential to expand the parameters and include other health conditions impacted by diet.
“If we can continue figuring out how to provide the foods people need to meet their dietary needs — especially because of medical conditions — that makes our world healthier,” Klein said. “It helps people not need as much medical care, which in turn, (gives) them a leg up in their lives.”
Maureen encouraged anyone interested and able to volunteer their time or donate to the Food Bank of the Rockies, which is currently seeking both.
Photos by Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel
Maureen smiles while receiving a box of food hand delivered to her home by Food Bank of the Rockies for a posed photo as part of the organization’s weekly Food for Health program, designed to combat food insecurity with community members who are experiencing chronic health issues, photo on Jan. 23. All the food included is chosen by a Food Bank of the Rockies dietitian, with each weekly box containing a combination of fruits, starchy and non-starchy vegetables, lean animal and plant-based protein, grains, and a dairy product.
“They’re wonderful,” she said. “They’re doing something, we should do something for them.”