Food Insecurity

Holiday Food Boxes for Discharged Patients from KCH ED

Who is eligible: All Adult and Pediatric patients who are being discharged (not being admitted to the hospital or observation unit) are eligible to take a box home for free. Food insecurity can affect anyone so you can ask every to-be-discharged patient if they are interested.
 
What: Food boxes contain nonperishable cans, dry lentils, and starchy food mixes. Patients do require a stove or hotplate and a can-opener to prepare these.
 
Where: Right now the food will be stored outside the D building ground floor kitchen, D1 N01. Enter the large silver doors by the D building elevators, make a right, and then a left and you will see 3 pallets of stacks of brown boxes that say “holiday food.”
 
Why: Given the current problem of food insecurity and hunger in our community which has worsened this year, this is one temporary way to help our patients who are having difficulty obtaining food.
How:
  1. ED provider can ask every patient upon discharge: “Would you like to go home with a box of groceries?” or patient requests a box of groceries prior to discharge, based on prior knowledge or advertisement. Please be mindful of allergens. Let them know it is free of charge.
  2. If patient is interested, ED provider obtains key (if applicable), walks to storage space, obtains box of food, brings to patient
  3. Fill out this form before Giving out a Box:https://forms.gle/ghVt6c9vg7bKsDaQ7 or scan the QR code below:
  4. Providers continues with patient discharge as usual
    1. Provider should enter ICD 10 code Z59.4 (Lack of adequate food and safe drinking water) into Epic discharge problems
    2. Provider should provide discharge information on access to NYC Care and food resources in NYC using a dot phrase: .nyccare and .foodbox or .foodresources
    3. Share these phrases with yourself from Adrian Aurrecoechea or Noah Berland on Epic (also available below). 

Discharge Instructions:

You received a box of food today. We are so happy that we were able to help in any way.
If you, a loved one or anyone else is experiencing hunger, or inadequate access to food, we have a number of resources we would like to share with you.

There is a NYC Emergency Food Line 866-888-8777 which you can call. You can also call 311.

The following QR Code can be scanned by your phone to get a map of NYC Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens, or you can go to https://www.foodbanknyc.org/get-help/

 

To get SNAP (also known as food stamps) benefits, you can scan the following QR code with your phone or use the following link: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/snap-benefits-food-program.page

 

You can also use the following QR code to get additional NYC resources for food insecurity, or follow the link: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/food-assistance.page

 

Sadly we aren’t able to give fresh food at this time, but you can if you have SNAP benefits access fresh fruits and vegetables from various fruit and vegetable stands and green markets, you can follow the following link or scan the QR Code: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/health-bucks.page