Advancing Health Podcast Summary

Episode: Food as Medicine: How Cleveland Clinic Is Nourishing Community Health
Date: June 18, 2025
Host: Nancy Meyers (American Hospital Association)
Guest: Vicki Johnson, Executive Vice President and Chief Community Officer, Cleveland Clinic

Overview

This episode focuses on Cleveland Clinic’s holistic approach to addressing food insecurity and promoting nutrition as a foundation for community health. The conversation highlights strategies that go beyond simply providing access to food, embracing the concept of "food as medicine" to tackle health disparities, promote education, and build sustainable partnerships within communities—especially those facing the greatest needs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Broad View of Food Insecurity

• Beyond Hunger: Vicki Johnson reframes food insecurity not just as a lack of food but as a lack of access to healthy food.
• Community Health Office: Established in 2023 to coordinate strategies across all communities where Cleveland Clinic operates, with an emphasis on building healthy communities together.

  “Our objective is to build healthy communities together...We use the same approach to engage with every community so that the outcomes and strategies are locally relevant.” (Vicki Johnson, 01:07)

Foundations of Intervention

• Multi-Level Approach:
  • Food in hospitals (patient bedside)
  • Food available in on-campus retailers and restaurants
  • Outreach and intervention in local communities
• Economic Leverage: Utilizing the Clinic’s significant economic footprint and workforce to drive partnerships and attract healthy food retailers to underserved areas.

Notable Initiatives

• Strategic Retail Partnerships:
  • Collaboration with Morrison Health (hospital food vendor) extends from patient care to community meals, cooking demos, and education.
  • Landmark Example: Attracting Meijer—an urban-format grocery—to the Cleveland (Fairfax) neighborhood after 30+ years without a quality grocery store.

    “The best thing that we could do for them as a partner...was to leverage our employee base and the amount of dollars we spend to attract a retailer...We were successful in attracting a high quality retailer. It’s Meijer, using the urban format...40,000 square feet of fresh groceries that did not exist before for our community.” (Vicki Johnson, 04:27–07:50)

  • Outcome: Removal of the local food desert obstacle, creation of 50+ jobs, improved community health sentiment.
• Food Pantries and Nourish Pantries:
  • In areas with less economic leverage, Cleveland Clinic supports local food and “nourish” pantries with integrated education, health provider consultation, and “food prescriptions.”
• Focus on Maternal and Child Health:
  • Targeted programs for pregnant women and children address nutrition, maternal, and infant health alongside traditional health care.

    “We’ve been able to really connect everything together—food insecurity, access to care, exercise—all of that to get to the outcomes that we hope to see.” (Vicki Johnson, 09:35)

Community Engagement & Continuous Feedback

• Ongoing Dialogue: Regular conversations with community members for needs assessment.

  “We’re really transparent about what we can and what we cannot do and then work together to make that happen.” (Vicki Johnson, 08:12)

• Place-Based Strategies: Adapting efforts to each community’s assets and gaps.

Measuring Impact

• Time Horizon: Recognizes that meaningful change in nutrition and health outcomes is a long-term effort.
  • Short-Term: Pre/post initiative surveys to measure awareness, knowledge, and self-reported behavior change (e.g., shopping, food preparation habits).
  • Long-Term: Expected improvements in health indicators, e.g., increased birth weights, reduced medication need due to better nutrition.
  • Behavioral Focus: Leverages community health workers for sustained, trust-based engagement.

    “When we change our behavior and when we recognize...I’m actually going to change how I eat and what I purchase, how I prepare it. Then we can expect, based on evidence, that we will see an increase...” (Vicki Johnson, 11:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On approach:

  “The whole approach that we use is how do we leave the hospital. We want to go where people are so that we have the greater opportunity to have an impact on the health outcome.” (Vicki Johnson, 04:53)

• On celebrating success:

  “Sometimes we get caught up in huge numbers, but every success is huge to that individual. Celebrate 10 people completing an initiative, celebrate 30, and then those 10 or 20 or 30 are going to share that experience with their neighbors...” (Vicki Johnson, 13:44)

• On perseverance:

  “Be in this for the long term. In community it’s also hard to measure impact...But it has a greater impact in one sustaining their health in the community in which they’re living.” (Vicki Johnson, 14:45)

• On partnership:

  “Partner with the physicians and know that we are just as important and in some cases more important in partnering with patients when they go home and community members to live a healthy life.” (Vicki Johnson, 15:18)

Recommended Advice for Other Organizations

• Give yourself grace & celebrate small wins: Recognize individual and community progress, not only large-scale numbers.
• Think long-term: Expect gradual change and measure impact carefully; community health is less instantaneous than clinical care.
• Build deep partnerships: Engage with local organizations, care teams, and vendors to amplify reach.
• Stay adaptive: Continuous community input and transparent communication are core to success.

Important Timestamps

• 01:07 — Vicki introduces the Cleveland Clinic’s Community Health Office and broader vision
• 02:33 — Explanation of how food insecurity is about nutrition, not just access
• 04:27–08:00 — Deep dive into strategies, grocery store partnership story
• 09:03 — Food prescriptions, nutrition education, and focus on maternal/child health
• 10:17 — Discussion on short- and long-term impact measurements
• 13:44 — Vicki’s advice for organizations starting similar work

Tone & Language

The conversation is practical, passionate, and collaborative. Vicki Johnson emphasizes humility, transparency, partnership, and the need for long-term commitment to community health.

Summary prepared for those wishing to understand or replicate the Cleveland Clinic’s “food as medicine” model and how healthcare organizations can be anchors for broader community well-being.