Jason Clark and Dr. Usha Sankrithi: This Thanksgiving, let’s commit to building a Washington where nobody goes hungry

By Jason Clark and Dr. Usha Sankrithi

More than 800,000 residents and 1 in 6 children in Washington state are currently experiencing food insecurity this holiday season. They need our help.

As with many societal challenges, the lack of access to fresh, healthy food continues to be a growing problem for Washington’s residents. And the heightened price of everyday essentials like food, gas and rent has placed additional strain on family budgets and increased demand for aid organizations to fill the gap. Yet addressing food insecurity is not as simple as it may seem.

Food is a key social driver of health, and nutritious food is a core ingredient in the recipe for a healthy life. It’s widely recognized that people experiencing food insecurity are more likely to suffer serious complications from chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and heart disease. Hungry children struggle to learn, and adults with poor nutrition are far less productive. Research is clear that having steady access to healthy meals can change lives, improving physical, mental and social well-being, and overall public health by uplifting our neighbors in need.

Improving food security is a multifaceted challenge that requires a comprehensive approach – one that tackles both the immediate need for increased food supply while also driving lasting change through nutrition education and wraparound support. While there is no “one size fits all” solution, making a tangible, long-term impact is possible by deploying a variety of strategies to increase consistent access to nutritious foods.

If we are going to truly treat food as medicine, we need to leverage the know-how of local community-based groups with the resources of well-established health care organizations who are on the frontlines taking care of our state’s at-risk individuals every day and are well positioned to help drive industry-wide change. Here in Washington, we’ve coupled Second Harvest’s deep understanding of responding to food insecurity, including creative ways of pairing food and education to make every resource count, with Coordinated Care’s local expertise and national backing by one of the nation’s leading health care organizations. From our collaboration, we know one thing to be overwhelmingly true: investing in educational-based food-assistance programs is key. We recommend that immediate relief be paired with practical education about healthy eating. This takes us from a single moment of aid to a lasting solution – equipping families with insights to choose foods that will help them live healthy, active lives outside of our walls.

One example, Second Harvest regularly holds free classes for Spokane community members – educating residents about improving nutrition and teaching them how to cook healthy meals at home using basic, affordable ingredients. Coordinated Care has worked closely with Second Harvest to make sure that Medicaid enrollees are aware of this program and take advantage of the resource, just as they would any other health care benefit. Coordinated Care and Second Harvest’s decade-long partnership has helped scale this effective model in central and Eastern Washington, allowing us to increase timely access to food while also giving our communities the tools they need to take control of their health. To date, we’ve held almost 200 classes for 2,500-plus attendees to promote healthier eating habits and teach skills that last a lifetime.

As hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians struggle to put meals on the table this Thanksgiving, it is time we all commit to treating access to nutritious food as an essential part of whole-person care. We know we can’t solve hunger and health disparities overnight, but we’re committed to making steady progress. Every meal shared and every cooking class taught brings us closer to our goal. We call on organizations working to address food insecurity to look at all factors that influence health. And more than that, we hope we can all collaborate to go beyond feeding people in need by encouraging empowerment and education to build healthier futures. Together, we can create a more equitable Washington where no one goes to bed hungry, and everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Jason Clark is CEO of Second Harvest Inland Northwest in Spokane. Dr. Usha Sankrithi, MD, MPH, is chief health equity officer of Coordinated Care, an Apple Health plan. Sankrithi is based in Seattle.