OLD BROOKLYN, Ohio — When we’re trying to live healthier, the first thing that usually changes is our diet.
"We know that your zip code matters more than your genetic code in terms of your ability to live a healthy life and access resources,” said Jeffrey Verespej, the executive director of the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation.
But for some folks who are living food insecure or in food deserts, it’s not easy to get access to the foods they need or is it?
"Sometimes folks don’t realize that there's a resource right down the street, but if their neighbor tells them if their neighbor connects with them its a powerful tool for making that linkage,” said Verespej.
For years the Old Brooklyn CCDC has teamed up with Metro Health and Baldwin Wallace University to make food accessible for everyone in the community who needs it.
After some research, all of these organizations say the problem is not everyone knows where to find those resources.
"What we are proposing is a comparative study between a clinical model and a community-based model,” said Swagata Banick, the director of Baldwin Wallace’s Center for Health Disparities Research and Education.
With a $100,000 grant from the 2020 Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge Banick says they can start that community-based model where community health navigators can work both with hospitals and in the communities to guide residents towards resources.
"We know that about 80% of a person’s health is determined outside the walls of the health center,” said Karen Cook, a director at Metro Health’s institute for H.O.P.E.
Metro is screening patients to find out what they need for this community-based model, but also getting food directly to them.
"We ensure that we distribute fresh produce on a monthly basis to patients and other community members who we know are food insecure,” said Cook.
The project will kick-off at the beginning of September.
