Healthcare Quarterly

Healthcare Quarterly 25(2) July 2022 : 26-33.10.12927/hcq.2022.26892
Meeting The Needs Of Underserved Populations

Can the Healthcare System Improve Food Security? A Need for Collaborative Community Partnerships

Kathryn Wiens, Meghan O’Neill, Robert J. Redelmeier, Sahr Wali, Anjum Chagpar, Sané Dube, Lori Diemert, Camilla Michalski, Brooke Ziebell, Sheldomar Elliott, Leslie Campbell, Laura Rosella and Andrew Boozary

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the food insecurity crisis in Canada, and existing supports have been largely insufficient to meet the food needs of communities. In response to increasing reports of food insecurity among Toronto residents during the pandemic, the Food RX program was developed as a collaborative initiative between FoodShare Toronto – a local, community-based food justice organization – and the University Health Network, a large university-affiliated hospital network in downtown Toronto, ON. This commentary describes the Food RX program, highlights the lessons learned during its early implementation and offers a set of recommendations for building community partnerships moving forward.

 

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