Food Security Is Health Infrastructure

Hunger in New York is growing. Grocery prices have risen, safety net programs are shrinking and more families are facing impossible choices between rent, medicine and food. For many, the question is no longer what’s for dinner, but if they can afford to put dinner on the table at all. 

At EmblemHealth, we see the consequences of food insecurity firsthand. When members lack reliable access to nutritious food, no amount of benefit design or chronic disease support can bridge that health gap. And it’s reflected in our clinical claims data. Food insecurity is one of the most common social drivers of poor health among our members.     Experiences shared at our Neighborhood Care centers – our 15 brick-and-mortar hubs where members and the broader communities we serve can walk in for health plan support and wellness resources – further highlight this issue. Year over year, Neighborhood Care’s food insecurity cases have increased, whether self-identified or flagged as a barrier to health care-seeking behaviors. We also see the intrinsic connection between food security and health outcomes. Members without a reliable source of nutritious food experience more complications related to chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension and heart failure. They also have more avoidable emergency room visits and hospital readmissions.

For these reasons and more, EmblemHealth is investing $2 million to combat food insecurity across New York City. By ensuring that nutritional resources reach the communities that need them most, we are furthering our mission as a not-for-profit health plan. This initiative is about strengthening the underlying infrastructure that sustains long-term health by addressing the operational, social and economic realities that shape it.  

We recognize that food insecurity stems from household strain and is a major driver of poor health outcomes. Building community trust and adoption of nutrition initiatives requires partnerships with food justice organizations that already have deep roots in neighborhoods throughout New York. City Harvest, The Campaign Against Hunger, and New York Common Pantry have the operational know-how and networks to reach communities where traditional health care often cannot. By aligning with their work and expanding our own Community Affairs and Neighborhood Care programming, we’re mobilizing our resources to make food security a sustainable part of health care delivery.  

Our Neighborhood Care centers host open-to-the-public food distributions, offer hands-on nutrition education and culturally relevant cooking demonstrations, and help our members and communities develop the necessary sustainable habits that support long-term health. The goal is to help people understand and learn healthier habits that can serve them throughout their lives, as situations and conditions change. Empowerment and support are key to sustaining these habits, and we do this by showing up where we’re needed most. Pop-up food distribution events, hosted in collaboration with elected officials and other community-based organizations, extend our reach directly into New York City’s most vulnerable populations.  

These efforts are about creating tangible pathways for people to meet their basic needs, develop healthier habits and strengthen the social fabric of their communities. Through Neighborhood Care, we’re combining distribution of fresh, nutritious food with opportunities for social connection. Shared cooking demonstrations, group activities and community gatherings nurture skill development and meaningful relationships, helping instill accountability for maintaining healthy habits.  

As a health plan, we sit at the intersection of care, cost and community. We know that no single organization can solve food insecurity. However, we can help support the framework that addresses it as part of broader population health strategies. Health plans and health systems can consistently screen for food insecurity in the same way we screen for preventable chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes (both of which are directly impacted by someone’s ability to make healthy food choices). We can connect members to resources and work towards integrating food security support for populations most at-risk of nutrition-related health disparities.

Nutritious food should be part of the health care system’s core infrastructure. It’s an essential part of prevention and a predictor of health outcomes. If we want to improve population health, control medical costs and strengthen communities, policy and political leaders need to work together and focus on what’s on the kitchen table.  

The reality of who pays for this work is complex. Federal and state programs are vital, and public-private partnerships are indispensable. As someone deeply entrenched in the fiscal reality of health care delivery, I know that doing nothing costs us all. Every avoidable hospitalization, unmanaged chronic condition or lost day of productivity tied to poor nutrition or lack of access to healthy food adds to our collective cost.  

While we hope that EmblemHealth’s example can encourage other private organizations to act, we also know that the health care industry cannot do this alone. It is going to take businesses, nonprofits, policymakers and community leaders recognizing that food insecurity is not a peripheral issue. It’s well established and consequential for health outcomes. We must align our systems, incentives and compassion with that reality.

Learn more here.