In Stanislaus County, 61,000 residents suffer from food insecurity. Here’s how we can help | Opinion

The new year often brings with it resolutions to eat healthier and more nutrition-dense foods. Meanwhile, some of our friends and neighbors will focus simply on having enough food to eat.

Food insecurity can impact anyone — in California, the number of people affected is rising. In Stanislaus County, roughly 61,000 residents suffer from it regularly.

A surprising aspect of food insecurity is that it can be caused or worsened by non-financial factors. Natural disasters or emergencies, like flooding or wildfires, close roads and shut down stores and food banks. Power outages can ruin frozen stockpiles. Mobility challenges, lack of day-to-day transportation and health conditions may also contribute to food insecurity. For example, an individual who relies on an oxygen tank cannot safely use a stove to cook a meal and may be impacted by food insecurity if no one else is at home to help.

One alarming aspect of food insecurity is that it’s often invisible.

Tom (a pseudonym), one of our members, was visiting the emergency department on a monthly basis. On paper, this member’s case seemed straightforward: He was in poor health, with several unmanaged chronic health conditions. However, one of our nurses met with Tom and learned that in addition to coping with depression and anxiety, he was also visiting the emergency department often because he knew he could get a full meal.

Our nurse began meeting with Tom every other week. Part of her care included arranging for Meals on Wheels to ensure he received daily food deliveries. Soon, his visits to the emergency department decreased.

Tom’s story is the perfect example of how complicated food insecurity can be. While community organizations such as Meals on Wheels already exist, it’s not always easy for someone to access these services. Tom, for example, wasn’t aware that he qualified for it.

Whether chronic or temporary, invisible or not, food insecurity may have long-term impacts on overall health. People who are food insecure are more likely to suffer from serious, chronic health conditions.

This is a key reason why we need to investigate the root cause of food insecurity. A lack of transportation, for example, creates a massive obstacle to accessing healthy foods. We need to make sure that those who need and qualify for resources, such as ride services, know about them and are able to apply or request them easily. This means ensuring marketing, forms and outreach are culturally competent by being translated across languages or distributed in ways that get information directly to the people who need it most.

We also need to minimize stigma by first educating ourselves and our communities about the fact that food insecurity can impact anyone. Health-care workers and other community organizations need to screen everyone to be able to identify invisible food insecurity. By screening at places like doctor’s offices, senior centers, schools and adult day programs, we minimize the impact of stigma and preconceptions.

We are in the throes of a critical moment in our hunger crisis. As our state and local resources work tirelessly to support our population experiencing food insecurity, health care stakeholders need to strategize ways to limit the critical health impacts it can have.

Let’s work together to ensure that all Californians can access food this new year.

This story was originally published January 30, 2024 at 5:00 AM.