Leaders from IU Health, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, the Purdue Center for Health Equity and Innovation, and the American Heart Association cut the ribbon to the new Nutrition Hub at Methodist Hospital.

Select patients at IU Health Methodist Hospital will soon be eligible for a new community resource, thanks to a partnership with Gleaners, the American Heart Association and the Purdue Center for Health Equity and Innovation. Leaders from the partner groups cut the ribbon on the IU Health Nutrition Hub Wednesday.

The Nutrition Hub is a centralized place for patients and community members to learn about health and nutrition. The hub also features food lockers, which will give a select group of eligible patients access to free, fresh, nutritious food from Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana.

Food lockers

Gleaners will stock the temperature-controlled lockers with fresh, nutritious foods after patients pre-order through an app.

While in its introductory stages, patients within the 46202 zip code who receive care at the hospital’s pre-admission testing clinic may qualify to use the food lockers. Patients who are food insecure and have a critical need for a healthy diet are the top priority.

Gleaners and community partners hope to expand the food locker program in the future.

Food lockers at the IU Health Nutrition Hub at Methodist Hospital

Poor nutrition is linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, poor nutrition is a leading cause of illness in the U.S., associated with more than half a million deaths per year. With the food lockers, “patients can focus on healing rather than where their next meal comes from,” said IU Health Chief Medical Officer Michele Saysana.

Closing the food insecurity gap

Just in Indiana, food insecurity adds more than $1 billion to health care costs, according to Feeding America research. While the Nutrition Hub alone cannot solve food insecurity, the collaboration is yet another initiative to help close the gap.

“Accessing fresh, nutritious food shouldn’t be complicated or challenging,” said Mary Dubinin, Gleaners’ director of community collaborations, calling the lockers the “food pantry of the future.”

A full-time community health worker will be in the Nutrition Hub to provide provide nutrition support and education to patients. The lockers will be available 24/7, allowing patients to pick up their orders at their convenience using a code.

The hope is that the Nutrition Hub and the food lockers provide a scalable, evidence-based model to track the link between food insecurity and health outcomes.

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