Food Insecurity in Butler County, Pennsylvania: A Case Study on the BHS Food Institute

This paper is a case study on the BHS Food Institute and its ability to alleviate food insecurity and the challenges associated with this public health crisis. Butler Health System's Butler Memorial Hospital is in Butler City, PA, which is considered a food desert. A food desert lacks easy access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables and other nutritious foods, causing food insecurity and poor health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic also negatively impacted the health of the Butler community and contributed to the food insecurity issue. The goal of the BHS Food Institute is to improve the healthcare status of its people generationally and serve as a model for other communities, health systems, and hospitals around the country that have food deserts, high prevalence of food insecurity, and chronic illness. Eligible patients receive basic nutrition education from the BHS Food Institute’s Nutrition Liaison ranging from demonstrations on healthy food preparation, label reading, portion control, and menu planning on a budget. The best practices to find and address food insecurity are establishing strong and diverse partnerships with local community organizations and conducting a community health needs assessment to investigate what gaps and barriers are present in the community. These best practices were identified by the BHS Food Institute Administrative Team. Next steps for the BHS Food Institute include hiring more staff, applying for more grants, tracking patient biometric data, expanding its services to other community members, and securing reimbursement through health plans to improve the Food Institute