Food insecurity is a social determinant of health affecting tens of millions of Americans. In response to these and other health and economic impacts, the health care sector is increasingly recognizing and investing in strategies that address and alleviate food insecurity such as screening patients for food insecurity and connecting at-risk patients to the federal nutrition programs and other food resources.
This brief provides examples of work by leading medical and health organizations to support Hunger Vital SignTM National Community of Practice members’ efforts to improve the food security of their patients at practice and policy levels — work that ultimately promotes positive health outcomes, addresses longstanding disparities in health, and reduces health care costs.