SSM HEALTH BATTLES FOOD INSECURITY THROUGH COMMUNITY HEALTH INITIATIVES

SSM Health provides a variety of community health initiatives to offset local food insecurities.

According to Julie Robertson-Brooks, community health manager for the Illinois region of SSM Health, last year’s Community Health Needs Assessment identified nutrition and food insecurity as priorities for her coverage areas of Marion and Jefferson counties.

Robertson-Brooks said the hospital system utilizes community health initiatives such as mobile markets and community gardens and pantries as a means of addressing those needs.

“Mobile markets are one of our longer standing programs,” said Robertson-Brooks. “It started out as an opportunity to address some of those food insecurity areas in our community, and we’ve been a part of it for about five years now. We implement them as a partnership between SSM, United Way of South-Central Illinois, and University of Illinois Extension.”

“Mobile markets are a monthly distribution that we do in several counties, but here in Centralia we do it over at Fairview Park on the second Thursday of every month,” Robertson-Brooks continued. “We start distributions at 1:00pm. [Those receiving food] drive their cars through and we pack them up with food we get from the St. Louis Food Bank, as well as some other places.”

Robertson-Brooks said the food offered to each recipient is based on household size and how many families each vehicle is receiving items for.

“It’s a really easy way for people to get food to last them for the month,” said Robertson-Brooks.

The free Little Food Pantry and community gardens are both in partnership with University of Illinois Extension and United Way, as well as Mission Centralia / Helping Hands.

Robertson-Brooks said SSM’s role in both projects was to assist with setup costs and help provide the resources and materials needed for the initial setup.

Speaking on the little pantries, Robertson-Brooks said, “They have a take what you need, give what you can setup. So, folks who are in need of food can go to these little pantries any time. They can take what they need from the pantries, and if they have the opportunity or they feel compelled to put more in the pantries, and if they have the opportunity or the feel compelled to put more in the pantries, they have that opportunity as well.”

“We try to make sure they are fully stocked. I know the University of Illinois Extension also utilizes the local 4-H program to do food drives to help stock those pantries.”

Robertson-Brooks said SSM Health has enjoyed a number of great partnerships with local organizations like the University of Illinois Extension and United Way, and that she and her colleagues are always looking for future collaborations.

“What I have noticed about Centralia is that there are so many people and partners that are excited to do the work, and they want to see these spaces really thrive and have a significant impact."