Food Assistance and Support Team Program Evaluation

About

The 2022 Parkview Community Health Needs Assessment identified access to healthy food as a top health service need for Allen County. In response to the high rates of food insecurity and limited access to healthy foods in Allen County, Parkview Health’s Food Assistance and Support Team (FAST) Program was proposed to navigate and assist in solving problems associated with food insecurity. The overall goal of the program is to connect the patient, healthcare provider and community/government-based food assistance programs to provide optimal access and improve the health of individuals identified as food insecure. The FAST program is available to Parkview patients in Allen County who are referred to the program by a medical provider or to individuals who self-refer to the program. More information about the FAST program can be found here.

The surveys of patients who have been referred to FAST and have undergone the screening for program eligibility between January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 will be collected and analyzed.

Our research questions include:

  • What is the patient population referred to the FAST program?
  • How can we improve patient clinical outcomes and food insecurity in Allen County?
  • What are implementation considerations for acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, cost, penetration, reach, willingness to participate, and engagement in the FAST program?

Partners

Funding

  • Indiana Department of Health

Publications and presentations

Press

All projects