Tackling Food Insecurity with Compassion and Community Partnerships at La Rabida Children's Hospital

Summary

Tackling Food Insecurity with Compassion and Community Partnerships at La Rabita Children's Hospital

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast featured an insightful episode titled "Tackling Food Insecurity with Compassion and Community Partnerships at La Rabita Children's Hospital", released on June 28, 2025. Hosted by Chris Ose, the episode delves into La Rabita Children's Hospital's dedicated efforts to combat food insecurity among its young patients and their families through innovative programs and community collaborations.

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Introductions and Background

Chris Ose welcomed the guests, Dr. Sarah Hohen, Chief Medical Officer at La Rabita Children's Hospital, and Christina Lindboom, Program Director of Care Coordination and Social Work at the same institution.

Dr. Sarah Hohen shared her extensive medical background:
"I'm a pediatrician by training who is board certified in critical care medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, and general pediatrics. Here at La Rabita, we have kids with complex medical needs and a lot of kids with technology. We're focused on helping our kids live their best lives while improving our engagement with the community" (00:24).

Christina Lindboom outlined her role and focus:
"I am a licensed clinical social worker for the last 25 years, focusing on acute hospitalization and community mental health. My team's mission is to address the psychosocial needs of our families and the social determinants of health that affect them daily" (00:57).

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Addressing Food Insecurity at La Rabita

The conversation centered on food insecurity, a critical issue affecting many families in Chicago. Dr. Hohen highlighted alarming statistics:
"About one in four children in Chicago face food insecurity, and in our immediate area on the south side, it's closer to one in three" (01:59).

She elaborated on how hunger impacts patient engagement:
"If families are hungry, their ability to engage with care providers diminishes. Sometimes, offering a granola bar or apple juice can significantly improve their mood and interaction" (02:00).

To combat this, La Rabita modeled their approach after the Feed First Pantry developed by Stacy Lindau of the University of Chicago's Lindau Lab. This model emphasizes unobstructed access to non-perishable foods without barriers:
"We set up a bookshelf with non-perishables that families can take freely, ensuring no permission is needed. This allows families to pick up essentials like cereal or peanut butter easily" (03:30).

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Program Feedback and Impact

Christina Lindboom provided insights into the program's reception and effectiveness:
"Our outpatient food pantry, located centrally for both inpatient and outpatient families, started two years ago. In the past year alone, we've served about 3,500 individuals with 75% of families utilizing the sign-in sheet" (04:32).

Families expressed immense gratitude:
"They say the pantry is a lifesaver, helping stretch their food budgets. Most are on SNAP, and our pantry supplements their benefits, allowing them to prioritize fresh produce and other essentials" (04:45).

La Rabita's leadership and staff have been overwhelmingly supportive, recognizing the critical need and appreciating the pantry's role in providing immediate assistance compared to other local pantries with limited hours.

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Future Growth and Initiatives

Looking ahead, Dr. Hohen outlined ambitious expansion plans:
"We aim to increase access by introducing an inpatient pantry and an employee pantry. Additionally, we want to provide more fresh fruits and vegetables—possibly even starting a garden—to offer healthier options beyond non-perishables" (06:33).

She emphasized the importance of comprehensive food support:
"Many pantries offer items like macaroni and cheese, but without milk, families can't utilize them. We want to provide complete options that support entire families" (07:00).

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Partnership with Just Roots: The Fresh Food Pharmacy

Christina Lindboom discussed La Rabita's collaboration with Just Roots, a local urban farm:
"Our partnership with Just Roots allows us to offer fresh produce through our 'fresh food pharmacy.' During the growing season, we can provide families with locally grown fruits and vegetables. This year, we're expanding to at least 30 families per session and have served about 535 families over the past three years" (08:01).

This initiative not only addresses hunger but also promotes healthier eating habits by providing access to fresh, nutritious foods.

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Gardening Initiatives and Sustainable Solutions

The idea of establishing a garden at La Rabita was passionately discussed:
"We have a rooftop that we've envisioned transforming into a beautiful garden. Collaborating with the University of Chicago, which has rooftop gardens, we've already started receiving fresh produce during the summer months. Even small garden beds can yield significant produce, enhancing our food offerings" (09:12).

Dr. Hohen stressed the synergy between health and wellness:
"It's not just about alleviating hunger but also ensuring families have access to healthy, balanced diets. Fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein are essential for their well-being" (09:30).

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Advice for Other Healthcare Leaders

In sharing wisdom with other healthcare systems, Dr. Hohen offered straightforward advice:
"If you build it, they will come. There's a significant need for accessible food programs in hospitals. Ensure that families have non-judgmental, 24/7 access to essential foods to support their overall care" (11:01).

Christina Lindboom added the importance of community partnerships:
"Partner with local organizations and engage volunteer services. Whether it's stocking the pantry, donating food, or providing food drivers, community involvement is crucial for the success and sustainability of such programs" (11:20).

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Conclusion

The episode concluded with heartfelt thanks to Dr. Hohen and Christina Lindboom for their dedication and impactful work in addressing food insecurity. Their comprehensive approach at La Rabita Children's Hospital serves as an inspiring model for other healthcare institutions seeking to support their communities holistically.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and future plans presented in the podcast episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the original content.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Beckers Healthcare Podcast. I'm Chris Ose and I'm thrilled to be joined today by Dr. Sarah Hohen, Chief Medical Officer at La Robita Children's Hospital in Chicago, and Christina Lindboom, program Director of care coordination and Social Work at La Revita. Sarah, Christina, thank you for joining us today.

[B]

Thank you. We're excited to be here.

[C]

Excellent. Sarah and Christina, could you please just take a minute and introduce yourselves to our audience and tell us a bit about your background?

[B]

Sure. So I'm Sarah Hoenn. I'm the Chief Medical Officer here at La Raviga. I'm a pediatrician by training who is board certified in critical care medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, and gen peds. Here at Laurabedo, we have kids with complex medical needs and a lot of kids with technology. And we're really focused on how we can help our kids live their best lives while simultaneously improving our engagement with the community and those around us.

[D]

And I'm Christina Lindboom. I am the program director for care coordination and Social work here at La Robina, both on the inpatient and outpatient side. I am a licensed clinical social worker for the last 25 years, and I have focused my career on acute hospitalization and also community mental health in my past. And our job of my teams is to focus on the psychosocial needs of our families and the social determinants of health that affect our families on an everyday basis.

[C]

Excellent. Thank you both for telling us a bit about yourselves. We are on the podcast today to talk about food insecurity in particular. So this is something that you both are very passionate about correcting in the Chicago area and hopefully beyond that, depending on how far your efforts can go. So, Dr. Hohen, could you tell us a bit about how La Rabita, what led the hospital to address food security? And have you worked with any helpful models or partners, anything to that effect?

[B]

Yeah, for sure. So one of the things we know is that living in Chicago, we know that about one in four children have food insecurity. We know that on the south side of Chicago and in our immediate area where we're located, it's more like one out of three children have issues with food insecurity. I know from when we used to see patients in clinic and all different times that if you're interacting with families, a lot of the times if people are not as willing to talk to you or they're acting shut down or where you're really getting a sense of disengagement from them, a Lot of times what we found is that sometimes it's just literally hunger. I mean, if you think about how you feel, if you skipped breakfast and lunch, and people talk colloquially about the word hangry, right? Like you're hungry and you're angry. And if you think about families that might not have enough access to food, how much just offering them a granola bar and an apple juice can do to improve their engagement and improve their mood. And so I think part of it was we were seeing people that were coming in that didn't necessarily want to disclose that they don't have access to food because it's something that's really hard for people to talk about. We know in our work in the greater community that there's a lot of food insecurity in the area. And so what we did when we wanted to address this was we modeled this after the Feed First Food pantries, which are a model that was created by Stacy Lindau, who's a physician at University of Chicago, through the Lindow Lab. And they looked a lot at food deserts in the south side of Chicago and all the different areas. And so we modeled it on this Feed first pantry, which is literally having access. Just. It might start with something like a bookshelf having non perishables that no one has to ask permission. People have free access to it, and they can take what they need. So it was important to us when we open this up, that there's no barriers to it. So people can come get a box of cereal, people can come get a jar of peanut butter and then take it home and share with their families. So we did base our model here at LaRavita in conjunction and in partnership with the Lindell Lab at University of Chicago, which had the Feed First Pantry.

[C]

Thank you so much, Dr. Hillen. So, Christina, could you give us an idea of the type of feedback you've received on the program from patients as well as from La Robita leadership and staff, and give us an idea of how long it's been going on and other effects the program has had.

[D]

Sure. Our food pantry in the outpatient clinic, we located in the outpatient clinic, which is a central location for both inpatient and outpatient families that can have the open access to the pantry. We started it about two years ago, but really within the last year, we've really ramped it up and started actually collecting data. No really identifying information except for a zip code and number of individuals in the household. And for about the last year, we've served about 3,500 individuals that have signed in and about 75% of our families actually sign in on the sign in sheet. Feedback from families when we've been stocking the pantry have been fabulous. They say that it's a lifesaver. They have acknowledged that this has helped stretch their food budget. Most of our families are on the SNAP program or food stamps, and they're able to supplement their food stamp budget with our the food from our pantry with our non perishable foods so they can focus on getting more produce and fruits and vegetables and dairy and meat with their actually SNAP benefits and the other pantry staples from our food pantry. Leadership has been very supportive of this as we recognize the need. My social work and care coordination staff love the fact that we have a small food pantry for our outpatient and inpatient families, that if we have a family that comes to us and they're hungry and they need food that day, we have the means now to provide that to them. Because a lot of the food pantries here in Chicago, while there are numerous of them throughout all the various neighborhoods, they have very limited days and hours. So by providing food here, we're able to meet that immediate need.

[C]

Our families have 3,500 people that you've already helped with this program. Sounds like a terrific start, but no doubt you would like to see it continue to grow. So as we look over the next three to five years, how do you see the program growing? And are there similar projects at the hospital that you would like to highlight right now?

[B]

Definitely. I think one of our goals is to increase access. So in addition to the outpatient food pantry, we've started an inpatient food pantry. We know that everybody in 2025 is really dealing with skyrocketing food prices. We're also looking at an employee food pantry. So we have sort of different avenues for it. I think when we think about what our goals are. You heard Christina mention about families trying to save their money for dairy and protein and fru fruits and vegetables. And I think what we would love to see in the future is a way to really provide more of the fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whether or not we'd be able to start a garden here. But I do think what we want to look at over time is how we can provide people more fresh fruits and vegetables and more healthier options in terms of access to milk and protein and different things that are super expensive and really hard for families to come by. And in general, none of the food pantries in the area, the mobile food pantries and things like that, so many of them focus on the non perishables. And there are so many things you don't think about, right? Like if you go to a food pantry and you get a box of macaroni and cheese, well, you can't make that macaroni and cheese unless you have milk. So giving someone a box of macaroni and cheese isn't going to help them if they don't have the milk to make it with when they get home. So we really want to look at how we can give them more comprehensive options that they can use for their whole family.

[D]

And I would say one of the projects that we have, we partnered with Just Roots. It's a local urban farm that has two urban farms here. One on the south side of Chicago. It has about a half acre farm within the city limits. And then it also has another in Stock Village, which is a south suburb of Chicago that has a three acre farm. For the last four years, we've partnered with them for what we call our fresh food pharmacy. And that is able during the growing season to give our family's fresh produce, fruits and vegetables that are grown locally on these farms. So this year we're able to expand it to at least 30 families per session. And over the last three years, we've served about 535 families with that partnership.

[C]

How wonderful would it be if patients and their families would walk into La Revita and see a garden where a lot of these foods are being grown? Hopefully that it's only a matter of time. Obviously the weather won't allow for certain things to be grown here, but I'm sure there's a lot of progress that could be made on that front. Is that something you're, you're really trying to focus on in addition to the other efforts that you're working on?

[B]

Oh, absolutely. We have a whole rooftop that we've looked at for years and said it would be a beautiful garden. So we're getting some different quotes and looking at different ways we can do that. We do benefit with our partnership with the University of Chicago. They have some garden on the top floor of their parking lot and they've been willing to share some of their fresh produce with us, especially in July and August, later in the summertime. So it's amazing to see how even just a few small garden beds can really produce a lot of produce for people. So that is something that we're actively looking at here. And we've been working with our, you know, the landscaping team and things like that to figure out how best to do it, but for sure it's one of our goals. Fresh food is really the key because it's really about how do you help people not be hungry, but how do you also help them be healthy. And we know that when people are on food stamps and things like that, you're really trying to get where you can get the most bulk, right? You want to get the cheapest food so people aren't hungry, but the cheapest foods are often the least healthy foods. We really want to look at how this intersection of health and wellness so we can make sure people have access to foods when they're not hungry, but they also have access to fresh, healthy foods like fruits and vegetables and dairy products so they can have health and have a well balanced diet.

[C]

Finally, Dr. Hoen and Christina. So what advice would you give to other leaders or any other healthcare systems or colleagues, et cetera, who want to undertake similar efforts? Certainly your program is not the only one out there and maybe you can work with each other, exchange ideas and things on that front. So what advice would you have for them?

[B]

I do think our advice is that if you build it, they will come. There's a huge need for programs like this. And we know that hospitals have a duty to help their families holistically to make sure that all their needs can be met. And we know that working with a Chicago food depository, there's a lot fewer mobile food pantries than there used to be. And so we really want to encourage people to think about how they can give their families non judgmental 24,7 access to non perishable foods and how you're really looking at what you're providing for families to help support them along the whole continuum of care.

[D]

I would also say look at partnering with your different community organizations. Get your volunteer services involved. Almost all health systems have a volunteer services. Get them involved. Reach out to your community organizations that already volunteer in other aspects of the healthcare system and see if they would be willing to come in and stock the pantry or to donate food or to have a food driver for you. Because the more community engagement you have around this issue, the more it can be solved on a global level.

[C]

Sarah, Christina, best of luck with all the efforts, including everything you're working on with improving food insecurity. And we cannot thank you enough for being so generous with your time, your insights, your passion for this topic today and we can't wait to share them with our audience and hopefully will speak to you both again soon.

[D]

Thank you.

[B]

Thank you very much. We really appreciate this opportunity and we're grateful for it.