University of Utah Health’s Food Pharmacies Remove Barriers to Healthy Eating

In every corner of our world, research indicates that a poor diet is a leading contributor to diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers that can cause death. In the United States, estimates put the number of deaths linked to unhealthy eating at 600,000 a year. 

One prescription for reducing these numbers and addressing food insecurity is food pharmacies. In 2022, University of Utah Health established a mobile Food Pharmacy program to help patients prevent and manage diet-related conditions like hypertension and obesity. A food pharmacy program provides access to nutritious food for individuals who have difficulty accessing it due to food insecurity, meaning a person or family cannot consistently get enough food for a healthy life.

“It’s important for me to be able to refer patients to the Food Pharmacy,” said Chandler Wilson, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist at U of U Health. “One, because a lot of my patients come from very low socioeconomic status and have limited access to fresh food. Additionally, I see a lot of type 2 diabetes cases, so having access to fresh food to help manage those patients’ blood sugars is very important.”

Wilson was introduced to the Food Pharmacy program at Redwood Health Center two years ago. Once onboard with the service, Wilson learned how to identify patients who could benefit from the pharmacy program.

“The Food Pharmacy is much different from sending patients to a food bank because of the fresh food aspect,” Wilson said. “A lot of our patients are trying to control their blood sugars, so packaged and processed foods, which are available at the food banks, aren’t usually the best options for them.”