Panel of Experts Addresses Impact on Health Equity
(CHICAGO – Oct. 17, 2024) Nearly 150 people gathered at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Oct. 10 for “Bridging the Equity Gap: Food Insecurity on the West Side” to discuss one of the most critical issues facing underserved neighborhoods in Chicago. The forum was hosted by Wellness West, a coalition of West Side organizations dedicated to creating a transformational continuity of care among hospitals, community health centers, community mental health centers, social services, and other critical points of care.
The full program is available to view here.
According to the Chicago Food Equity Agenda, 19 percent of Chicagoans face food insecurity with 29 percent in majority-Latinx communities and 37 percent in majority-Black communities suffering from food insecurity. Lack of access to healthy food is associated with a range of health conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. According to the Center for American Progress, food insecurity costs the U.S. economy $130.5 billion in unnecessary health care costs.
The event began with opening remarks from Rep. Camille Lilly, Assistant Majority Leader, Illinois House of Representatives; Jose Sanchez, Wellness West Board Chair and CEO of Humboldt Park Hospital; Donald Dew, Wellness West Board Vice Chair and CEO of Habilitative Systems Inc; Jesse Lava; Special Assistant to the Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (IL-HFS), and Misty Drake, Executive Director of Wellness West.
“How is it possible that fresh, nutritious food is plentiful in some areas of Chicago but scarce in others?” asked Donald Dew in his opening remarks to set the stage for the evening. “How is it possible that in this great city, a child will go to bed hungry tonight?”
Attendees saw the premiere of a video showcasing how Wellness West is addressing food insecurity that featured Alejandra Lopez Rivera, a Wellness West client. The video can be seen here.
The all-star panel included: Tesa Anewishki, CEO, The Loretto Hospital; Julia Bassett, Office of Community Health Equity and Engagement, Rush University Health System; James Brooks, CEO, Lawndale Christian Health Center; Amy Laboy, Vice President of Programs and Community Partnerships, Greater Chicago Food Depository; Sarah Mastrorocco, Vice President and General Manager of Health, Instacart; Carmen Vergara, Vice President of Community Partnerships, Chicago Botanic Garden.
In the 50-minute discussion, panelists covered a range of topics at the intersection of health and food security. Topics included: food deserts vs. food swamps, the role hospitals play in food security, how Community Health Workers identify the food insecure, the dignity of choice that online grocery supports provide, how SNAP benefits do not solve the problem by itself, urban farming programs, public misperceptions of the food insecurity issue, and more.
“Food is a basic human right,” said Amy Laboy, Greater Chicago Food Depository. “What we really need to be working towards is equitable access to nutritious food. We need to imagine a world where no child goes without a breakfast that fuels them to have a successful day at school.”
“I am a firm believer that we are all better when we work together,” said James Brooks, CEO, Lawndale Christian Health Center. “It’s the church, it’s the hospital, it’s the community health center, all these resources have greater impact when we work together.”
“I think one of the biggest public misperceptions about this issue is between the terms hunger and food insecurity,” said Tesa Anewishki, Loretto Hospital. “Hunger is a physiological condition. Food insecurity is lack of access to healthy food.”
Wellness West is funded by the Illinois Healthcare Transformation Collaboratives (HTC) initiative of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services that is investing in closing gaps in care and increasing health equity for Illinois.
More information about Wellness West is available at www.wellnesswest.org