Fighting food insecurity with fresh produce and education - Children's National

Food insecurity is rising in Washington, D.C. and it's hitting families with children the hardest. Not only is food insecurity a harmful chronic stressor, it is also a prevalent social driver that elevates the risk of numerous physical and mental health conditions. That's why Children's National Hospital created the Family Lifestyle Program (FLiP) - a multi-layered intervention, which offers Patient Navigation (FLiP-PN) and a Produce Prescription Intervention (FLiPRx). FLiP is a Food Is Medicine, clinical-community initiative that helps families get access to fresh food, build healthy habits and lower their risk of diet-related diseases like diabetes and obesity.

FLiP's mission is simple: to become a hospital-wide resource for families struggling with food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease. By working collaboratively with clinicians, dietitians, social workers and medical students, FLiP provides both food and education, the building blocks of lifelong health.

Here's how it currently works: during check-ups at Children's National primary care clinics, families are screened for food insecurity. If a family says they're having trouble affording or accessing healthy food, they are referred to a Patient Navigator, a trained medical student volunteer who helps connect them to resources, such as emergency food, federal and community nutrition programs and safety-net food resources, as well as enroll those interested in the FLiPRx program.

Working at the intersection of food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease risk, FLiPRx provides two key things: fresh produce and nutrition and culinary education. Over six months, families receive weekly produce deliveries to their homes - supplied by 4P Foods, a local food provider that sources fresh, high-quality, delicious food across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia - and attend monthly virtual cooking and nutrition classes. The goal is not just to put more fruits and vegetables on the table, but to help families learn how to use them in a healthy, affordable way. In addition to providing nutritious food, the program also offers chronic disease monitoring and management by a clinician, ensuring that families receive comprehensive, whole-person care.

The expansion of this program would not be possible without the generous funding of The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. Their recent investment supports the expansion of the program, which is ripe for growth, to help more families who receive care at various local primary care centers and across the broader Children's National network, as well as to add meaningful enhancements to ensure the program's ongoing success. "Programs like FLiP reflect the deep connection between health, community, and opportunity," said Mieka Wick, CEO, at The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. "We're proud to support efforts that ensure every child, and their caregivers, have access to nutritious food and information that supports a healthier lifestyle for multiple generations."

This model is already working. Families in the program say they eat more fruits and vegetables, feel better, and even see improvements in their children's health. One mother of four said, "FLiPRx was an excellent experience that helped us navigate dinnertime. It helped us broaden our horizons in terms of our taste buds. Now we're more willing to taste this and try that."

The data backs it up. FLiPRx is linked to:

• Reduced food insecurity
• Better perceived health
• More access to fresh food
• Increased variety and quantity of fruits and vegetables

"Healthy food is foundational to child health," said Qadira Ali, MD, MPH at Children's National. "By combining fresh produce with culturally relevant education and medical care, FLiP helps us address chronic disease in a more holistic, family-centered way."

Over the next three years, FLiP will expand beyond primary care into specialty clinics at Children's National, enrolling hundreds more families, including Spanish-speaking ones. This ongoing momentum will bring FLiP one step closer to becoming the gold-standard institutional resource for addressing food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease among children and families served by Children's National Hospital.

The long-term goal? To be a dynamic, evidence-based Food Is Medicine model for pediatric healthcare institutions nationwide. With the right support, FLiP can help show that food is not just medicine - it's fundamental to growing the next generation of healthy children.