The research, titled “Addressing Childhood Food Insecurity: An Integrated and Community-Based Approach,” placed a food outreach specialist from a local community organization in an urban Midwest clinic to serve as a liaison for connecting families in need with available resources. The specialist had expertise in food-related resources and the ability to enroll families in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The specialist also helped troubleshoot challenges families had with access to food-related resources.
Research author Constance Gundacker, MD, MPH, FAAP, section chief, general and community pediatrics at Medical College of Wisconsin, pointed to the number of families who received assistance with the pilot program as a sign that the program could have positive benefits.
“We’ve seen the powerful effectiveness of trusted community partnerships by embedding a FoodShare outreach specialist directly into a pediatric primary care clinic. This innovative approach has already connected over 600 families with vital resources, showcasing a highly effective and sustainable model for addressing food insecurity where families already seek care,” Gundacker said.
In total, 664 families were assisted by the specialist in the first year of this partnership. 24 families were enrolled in FoodShare, Wisconsin’s name for the state's food stamps program, which provided an estimated 19,176 annual meals with an economic impact of $115,512. The centralized location also supported the specialist by providing a community outreach site for those in need.
Authors state that feedback from participating families can be used to improve the program as it expands beyond its initial run. They said that for communities with high rates of food insecurity, integration of a food resource specialist in a pediatric clinic is an effective and sustainable way to connect families to food.
The authors received financial support for this research from Children’s Wisconsin and the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment. The partnership was also supported by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.
Study authors Cassandra Wright, Sherida Strong-Rimmer, and Dr. Constance Gundacker are scheduled to present their research, which is below, from 10:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m. MDT on Saturday, Sept. 27 in the Colorado Convention Center, Four Seasons Ballroom 1 & 2. To request an interview with the authors, contact media@mcw.edu and ssilvertraband@childrenswi.org.
In addition, Dr. Gundacker will be among highlighted abstract authors who will give a brief presentation and be available for interviews during a press conference from noon-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, in the National Conference Press Room, CCC 705/707. During the meeting, you may reach AAP media relations staff at 303-228-8338.
Please note: only the abstract is being presented at the meeting. In some cases, the researcher may have more data available to share with media, or may be preparing a longer article for submission to a journal.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org. Reporters can access the meeting program and other relevant meeting information through the AAP meeting website at http://www.aapexperience.org/
Program Name: 2025 Call for Abstracts
Submission Type: Council on Community Pediatrics
Abstract Title: Addressing Childhood Food Insecurity: An Integrated and Community-Based Approach
Callie Bednarek
Pewaukee, WI, United States
Background
Food insecurity affected 17.9% of U.S. families with children in 2023, with rates reaching 39.1% at a Midwest urban pediatric clinic. Food insecurity in children is associated with higher rates of chronic health conditions like asthma, skin allergies, and depression, along with increased Emergency Department visits and school absences. Recognizing these impacts, this clinic partnered with Feeding America and a regional food and healthcare coalition to improve resource access. This study evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of those initiatives.
Methods
Aim 1: Evaluation of Embedded Food Outreach Specialist Model A Feeding America Outreach Specialist provided weekly in-person assistance to clinic families starting September 2023. By January 2024, the specialist was fully integrated into clinic operations, with standardized tracking to document the number of families engaged, FoodShare enrollments facilitated, and connections to additional resources. Monthly team meetings were conducted to evaluate and refine engagement strategies, and two staff training sessions were held to increase awareness of the specialist’s role and available resources. Patient and staff satisfaction surveys were collected to assess program feasibility and effectiveness. Aim 2: Community Engagement through Data Chats A regional food and healthcare coalition facilitated three “Data Chats”, a model of small, focused conversations with community members about their perspectives and interpretations of quantitative data related to food access. Materials were developed and reviewed in partnership with community organizations, and sessions were conducted in both English and Spanish. Reports from these sessions were generated and shared with coalition partners and community organizations to identify and discuss barriers to food access and inform future resource coordination and other areas for improvement.
Results
Aim 1: In 2024, the Feeding America specialist provided 708 resources to patient families (Figure 1). By year’s end, the specialist had assisted 664 families and successfully enrolled 24 in FoodShare, providing an estimated 19,176 annual meals and an economic impact of $115,512. Clinic staff reported strong support for the program, with 81% finding it somewhat or very useful, while 19% remained neutral (N=16). All but one staff member reported that the partnership either decreased or did not impact their workload. Anonymous caregiver feedback demonstrated high satisfaction, with the majority stating that they already had, or planned to, share what they learned with friends and family. Aim 2: Three Data Chats were conducted in 2024 and 35 individual community members and service providers participated. Insights from the Data Chats were synthesized into reports outlining key themes and community-identified priorities (Table 1).
Conclusion
Initial results suggest that embedding a FoodShare Outreach Specialist within the clinic is both feasible and beneficial to families and staff. Next steps include incorporating community feedback from the Data Chats, expanding to other clinics, and strengthening resource referrals across community-based organizations to maximize impact.
Figure 1
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