Taking Healthcare by Storm: Industry Insights with Elidia Martinez

In this episode of Taking Healthcare by Storm, Quality Insights Medical Director Dr. Jean Storm speaks with Elidia Martinez, a community health worker and the Food Rx Program Coordinator with Beebe Healthcare.

Elidia discusses the Food Prescription Program's role in combating chronic diseases in Sussex County by providing nutritious food and education to those in need. She highlights the program's evolution, success stories, and future expansion plans to further support community health.

For more information about the Food Prescription Program, email Elidia.

If you have any topics or guests you'd like to see on future episodes, reach out to us on our website.

Publication number QI-111425-GK

Transcript

Welcome to "Taking Healthcare by Storm: Industry Insights," the podcast that delves into the captivating intersection of innovation, science, compassion, and care. 

In each episode, Quality Insights’ Medical Director Dr. Jean Storm will have the privilege of engaging with leading experts across diverse fields, including dieticians, pharmacists, and brave patients navigating their own healthcare journeys. 

Our mission is to bring you the best healthcare insights, drawing from the expertise of professionals across West Virginia, Pennsylvania and the nation.

Subscribe now, and together, we can take healthcare by storm.

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Taking Healthcare by Storm. I am Dr. Jean Storm, medical Director of Quality Insights, and today I am joined by Elidia Martinez. A community health worker with Beebe Population Health, Elidia plays a key role in Beebe's Food Prescription Program, a unique initiative that connects individuals living with chronic conditions to healthy food, nutrition, education, and resources to better manage their health.

We are gonna be talking about simple common sense solutions. To chronic disease today, something that we are very focused on in this country right now. So we're gonna be talking with Elidia about the growing challenge of chronic disease in Delaware, how the program works, the impact it's having on the community, and what's ahead for the future.

Elidia, thank you so very much for joining us today. Thank you for having me. I'm excited for this opportunity. I am excited as well. So Delaware has one of the highest rates of chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. From your perspective, how significant is the challenge of chronic disease in Sussex County and how does food insecurity play into this challenge?

The challenge of chronic disease in Sussex County is ongoing and it's deeply intertwined with food insecurity. Sussex County, like much of Delaware faces disproportionately high rates of chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. All conditions that are heavily influenced by lifestyle, access to care, and most critically, access to nutritious foods.

Food insecurity in Sussex County affects over 21,000 residents with nearly 10% of the population lacking consistent access to healthy meals. This isn't just about hunger, it's about the quality of food available. When families are forced to choose between affordability and nutrition, they often rely on calorie dense, nutrient poor options that exacerbate chronic conditions.

The average cost of a meal in Sussex County is $3 and 45 cents. In the annual food budget shortfall exceeds $12 million. These figures alone reflect the systemic barrier to health. Moreover, food deserts. Areas with like limited access to grocery stores are scattered across Delaware, including parts of Sussex County.

This lack of access to fresh produce and whole foods directly contributes to the prevalence of chronic diseases. Without intervention, these conditions become cyclical. Poor nutrition leads to illness. Illness leads to financial strain, worsens, food insecurity. Addressing chronic disease in Sussex County requires more than clinical care.

It demands a community-wide strategy that includes expanding access to healthy food, supporting local grocery initiatives, and integrating nutrition education into healthcare settings. BeebeS food programs and the work of other agencies like the Food Bank of Delaware supported by the governor's newly formed Foodist medicine committee are steps in the right direction, but the scale of challenge calls for sustained collaborative action.

Yeah. And I loved how you outlined that cycle, and I don't think a lot of people are aware of it.   so that's, that's really important to understand. Beebe's Food Prescription Program launched in 2016, but it has evolved quite a bit since then. So can you walk us through how the program started and how it has grown into what it is today?

Of course.  The Food Prescription Program did not start as the food prescription program.  In partnership with the Food Bank of Delaware, BiBeebe actually launched a monthly condition specific food access program back in 2016.  Patients identified as food insecure were referred to our community outreach team for enrollment within that program.

 With. The incredible support of our Epworth Church and the Jewish seaside community volunteers, patients who were home bound were able to participate within that program. Over the years, an average of 55 households are provided food, toiletries, and related items each month for a period of time.

Participants also received age appropriate books for the children and adolescents in those homes. Thanks to a dedicated volunteer who secured grant funds to purchase said books. An expanded food prescription program vision was held for years to address multiple conditions. This vision included the possible build out of a Beebe location.

However, in 2023 when Beebe was awarded a grant through Merck. The funding necessitated a community-based model. We launched our first cohorts in June, 2024 after months of planning focus groups and partnership confirmation. Once again, the Food Bank of Delaware is our valuable food procurement partner with our location partners being the libraries and churches within Georgetown and Millsboro locations.

So exciting and important. So for someone who isn't familiar, can you explain how the program works from the referral process to receiving food boxes and attending educational sessions and tracking health outcomes, which I'm very interested in. Oh yeah, of course. So referrals come from a variety of sources.

They can come from flyers, word of mouth, that one's really big.   Physician referrals and much more.  Once patients are referred, participants are scheduled for an intake appointment  where we collect their height and weight to calculate BMI  blood pressure A1C and a lipid panel that consists of.

Measuring their total cholesterol, HDL and their triglycerides. We also assess their food insecurity, readiness to change, and the kitchen equipment and supplies that they have available in their home. At the end of the intake, participants are informed of their eligibility, and those who qual qualify receive a calendar specific to their location.

Either Georgetown or Millsboro that outlines all of the key dates the educational sessions, food pickup days when biometrics are scheduled and their graduation ceremony.  And then biometrics are measured three times throughout each  cohort, and it's at the start, mid and end of every cohort.

That is really detailed. I'll tell you. That's really great. You thought of everything. So who, yeah. Who qualifies to participate in the program and what steps do patients need to take to get involved? Patients who live in the Georgetown or Millsboro zip codes with chronic conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and or obesity.

In addition to the chronic health condition, they must also screen positive for the food insecurity aspect. And we use the Evidence-Based Hunger Vital Sign questionnaire which is a two question screening tool developed from the USDA household food security survey. It is widely used in healthcare settings to identify patients who may be struggling to afford or access enough food, and another Factor is readiness to change because we want to make sure that participants are open to engaging with the program and willing to take the steps necessary to build healthier habits. And once they're referred patients, complete an intake appointment. As we discussed before, we're the criteria is assessed and if they qualify, they're officially enrolled into the program.

Yeah, that's fantastic.  So. You talked about participants receive, they receive weekly food boxes  and self-management classes, but what kinds of changes have you seen in people's health habits or maybe even their sense of community since joining the program? Yes, thank you for this question. I love this question actually.

 So based on biometric data from past cohorts, we've seen that participants who are fully engaged you know, those who attend all of the educational sessions, set realistic goals and actively participate. They tend to show the most significant improvements in their health outcomes, their blood pressure, cholesterol, and other biometric markers often improve compared to those who are less engaged Beyond the numbers, there are powerful social benefits as well.

I've had the privilege of watching participants open up to one another, share experiences. And even exchange contact information to continue supporting each other outside of the program. Many participants have expressed how grateful they are for the opportunity, noting that it not only gave them the confidence to make healthier changes for themselves, but also helped them feel more comfortable in social settings where they might have struggled before.

That is amazing. And I'll say, I don't think people realize how much that social connection really positively impacts an individual's health. And we're gonna talk about that in a little bit, maybe.  With the success story. But first  I wanna, I'm wondering how many team members are involved in running the program day to day, and then also how many, roughly how many individuals and families benefit from the program each year?

So the Food Prescription program has had the benefit of serving about 97 individuals and families since its first cohort launched in 2024.  With our fourth cohort approaching, we hope to be able to serve many, many more. This program, of course, takes a team, some who are actively in the day-to-day operations, such as myself and some who support the educational components and some who support the program behind the scenes.

 So we're just grateful to have such a large team on our side. Yeah, it's really exciting  meaningful work.  Seems that way. Without naming names, can you share a success story that really illustrates the program's impact? Of course.  So one success story that really stands out to me involves a gentleman who approached the mobile health team at the Restore located in Georgetown.

As the team was wrapping up for the day, he approached with complaints of shoulder pain through a. Brief conversation. They learned that he was living with diabetes but was not taking his medications on a consistent basis or following a healthy diet and trusting their instincts. The nurses invited him into the mobile health unit to run some tests.

His blood sugar was over 250 milligrams and his A1C was above nine indicating that his diabetes was poorly controlled. The team quickly acted and our nurse practitioner was able to refill his diabetic medication prescription, and the nurses provided education on diabetes management. They also referred him to the food prescription program where he was enrolled the very next day.

Since then, he's become a regular participant. He's been meeting with his primary care provider, taking his medications as necessary and attending every class, and he's even shown visible improvements in his overall health and energy. He often expressed gratitude for the time he took. That day  meeting the team on the mobile health unit and his progress has truly been a great example of how the program can make a lasting impact.

And I'm truly, truly, truly proud of him for his accomplishments throughout his time within this program. Yeah.  That's the absolute definition of meeting someone where they are.    And like successfully meeting someone where they are.  Love that story. Thank you. Yeah. So looking ahead, are there any plans to expand services, increase reach, or innovate how you deliver food and education to the community?

Yes, we're definitely looking to expand both our services and our reach. We recently received a mini grant from the American Lung Association, which will allow us to extend our food prescription program to the Ellendale community.  We're really excited about this opportunity because it means that we can provide more families with access to nutritious foods and the resources that they need to support their health, and it's a meaningful step forward in our mission to serve more people and make it lasting impact.

Absolutely, and I hope you have more expansion in the future. So people want to learn more about the program. How can they do that? Is there a website they can go to?  They can actually send me an email or call my work phone.   So my email, my work email is EL Martinez  M-A-R-T-I-N-E z@Beebehealthcare.org. Okay. And then my work phone number is (302) 542-1253. Perfect. So anyone who is interested in learning more about the program, please reach out to Elidia and she will point you in the right direction.

Elidia Martinez, thank you so very much for joining us today and sharing  all the important work that the BeebeE Population Health Food Prescription Program is doing. Of course. Thank you for having me again. I was very excited for this opportunity.

Thank you for tuning in to Taking Healthcare by Storm: Industry Insights with Quality Insights Medical Director Dr. Jean Storm. We hope that you enjoyed this episode. If you found value in what you heard, please consider subscribing to our podcast on your favorite platform.

If you have any topics or guests you'd like to see on future episodes, you can reach out to us on our website. We would love to hear from you.

So, until next time, stay curious, stay compassionate, and keep taking healthcare by storm.