Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - non-construction - butler health system (BHS), the parent of butler memorial hospital (BMH), has supported a healthy community for over…

Community project funding/congressionally directed spending - non-construction - butler health system (BHS), the parent of butler memorial hospital (BMH), has supported a healthy community for over 120 years. The hospital continually evaluates the region's needs through community health needs assessments that assist the organization in allocating resources and developing programs that best serve butler county and the surrounding area. In 2019, the community health needs assessment identified access to adequate food and health education as a significant GAP in the community. Food insecurity is when a person lacks consistent access to nutritious food for an active, healthy life. The covid-19 pandemic has made food insecurities and health conditions worse. As a result, the butler health system opened the food institute in april 2021 to provide nutrition education and access to healthy food. Communities with high rates of food insecurity have a higher prevalence of diseases and other measures tied to poor health. One out of three chronically ILL adults cannot afford medicine, food, or both. The first of its kind in the butler region, the food institute's goal is to improve the population's health by linking patients to a more nutritious lifestyle. The institute works to provide access to healthy food options, nutrition education, referrals to disease-specific lifestyle coaching, and connections to other community resources to address other social determinants of health. Patients are referred to the program and engage in monthly appointments that provide ingredients and cooking instructions for ten meals upon intake. Patients are then linked to additional services to manage chronic diseases and improve overall health. The success of the food institute in butler county has led to the expansion of the program's services into clarion county and its affiliate entity, clarion hospital. By addressing food insecurities and empowering patients through lifestyle education, the BHS food institute hopes to improve outcome S for those with chronic illness, assist with healthy living, and support a healthier community in butler and clarion county, pennsylvania, and the surrounding areas.