Funded Projects

Latino Free Clinic Food Insecurity Intervention

Project Year

2023

City & State

Columbus, Ohio

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Nutrition

Program Description

"Problem : We recognize that access to healthy foods can be challenging, especially for low-income families whose resources are often limited. This access can be even more difficult for families who are undocumented and lack the identification often requested when presenting to food pantries. From data obtained from Feeding America, we know the food insecure population in the state of Ohio is as high as 11.6%. The population of Franklin County - the most populous Ohio county that includes the city of Columbus - had a 12.6% food insecurity rate. Of that number, 56% are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. According to the 2021 American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau, Ohio’s Hispanic population has more than doubled since 2000. In Franklin County in 2020, 9.4% of children were Latino. Within the state of Ohio, approximately 31% of Hispanic children lived in poverty in 2020. The Franklin County food insecurity rate for the Hispanic/Latino population is 20% compared to 10% for the white population. Additionally, Latin families are more likely to face additional barriers such as lack of transportation. Data from the National Equity Atlas shows that immigrant families (which comprise the majority of Clínica Latina population) are less likely to have access to a vehicle compared to US-born counterparts. Ultimately, we know that the Latino population within Columbus is disproportionately impacted by food insecurity and faces additional barriers including identification, language, and transportation. Primary Setting : Clínica Latina - a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the Spanish-speaking residents of Central Ohio and beyond. Clínica functions as a free clinic that offers health services for basic medical issues, connects patients with reduced-cost or free healthcare appointments and medical homes at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center or Nationwide Children’s and links them with outside charitable and government resources. Number of Children affected: According to a snapshot from the 2021 American Community Survey, 20% of Hispanic Ohioans live below the poverty line. Of these households 38% have children under the age of 5. There are an estimated 60,970 children under 18 years of age within Franklin County who are food insecure which accounts for nearly 20% of the pediatric population in the county. Knowing that approximately 9.4% of children in Franklin County are Latino and that the food insecurity rate for the Latino population is double that of the white population, we can see that Latino children are disproportionately represented in this total number. Project Goal : Our primary goal is to identify food insecurities and barriers to access within our Clínica Latina population. Our second goal is to create resources that will help our families link to a reputable source to obtain nutrient-rich healthy foods. Our third goal is to increase knowledge about resources and local food pantries among the Latino community we serve and among our medical providers. Proposed Intervention : - Establish a screening protocol for food insecurity at Clínica Latina. - Link Clínica Latina with food pantries in the area and create a resource to connect families to these Latino friendly food pantries. - Identify families eligible for government programs such as WIC and SNAP and provide guidance to increase enrollment. - Establish follow-up with families to identify additional barriers impacting their access to resources. Anticipated Outcomes : - Improvement in awareness of and access to food pantries in the central Ohio region - Increased enrollment to food pantries/markets, WIC, SNAP (when eligible) - Increased percentage of adults who are able to identify a food pantry in their county - Identification of additional barriers impacting food insecurity such as transportation"

Project Goal

Identify food insecurity and barriers to access within our Clínica Latina population and create resources to link families to safe sources to obtain nutrient-rich healthy food in an effort to reduce the rate of Latino children in our community who are hungry.

Project Objective 1

Throughout the course of the project, we will identify the barriers faced by the Latino community related to access to food as well as utilization of WIC and SNAP by the implementation of a food insecurity survey distributed to families at Clínica Latina.

Project Objective 2

Within the first 3-4 months we will create informational materials that will link Latino families in our community to food resources via collaboration with at least two larger local food bank organizations (one of which is known to have Spanish speaking staff).

Project Objective 3

After 10 months of our intervention, we will have screened approximately 500 patients attending Clínica Latina for food insecurity and will have increased awareness through both personal communication and educational materials such that these 500 individuals will be able to identify a local food pantry and resources such as WIC and SNAP.

AAP District

District V

Institutional Name

Clínica Latina

Contact 1

Ana Cabal Herrera

Contact 2

Kaitlyn Foreman