Members of Sunflower Foundation’s Kansas Food is Medicine Initiative (KFIMI) team hope a new co-authored report, which highlights the innovative work of health clinics participating in the initiative, will inform future efforts to scale food is medicine (FIM) programs in rural or standalone primary care settings across Kansas and beyond.
The peer-reviewed report, “Lessons from the Fields of Kansas: Food is Medicine Implementation in a Predominantly Rural State,” details the implementation approaches used, challenges faced, and problem-solving strategies developed by each of the KFIMI clinics. The six participating clinics are AmberMed in Hoxie, Genesis Family Health in Dodge City and Liberal, Health Ministries Clinic in Newton, HealthCore Clinic in Wichita, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Pittsburg, and Heartland Community Health Center in Lawrence.
The report appears in the August issue of Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, a peer-reviewed publication focusing on contemporary health care issues of medically underserved communities. This special issue, Policy Impact and Innovations in Community Health Centers, highlights research, innovation, and real-world experiences from health centers across the nation.
The report was co-authored by members of Sunflower’s KFIMI Evaluation and Advisory team – Marianna Wetherill, professor of health promotion sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Susan Harvey, associate professor of community health at the University of Kansas; and Kristina Bridges, assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center — and Sunflower staff members Elizabeth Burger (senior vice president of programs and strategy) and Carlie Houchen (director of Health Systems).