TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) \u2014 A new approach to fighting hunger in the Tampa Bay area is focusing on something bigger than food alone: overall health.<\/p>\n
Leaders at\u00a0Feeding Tampa Bay\u00a0unveiled their latest initiative during Wednesday\u2019s Health and Hunger Summit, where hundreds gathered to learn how nutrition can serve as a bridge to better medical outcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cFood insecurity is a health care crisis,\u201d said President and CEO Thomas Mantz. \u201cThe neighbors that we serve are struggling with health care. They\u2019re making really difficult choices between food and medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the center of the initiative is a new neighborhood health clinic, created through a partnership with\u00a0Suncoast Community Health Centers. The clinic will provide primary care services five days a week, with both walk-in visits and scheduled appointments available.<\/p>\n
Organizers say the goal is simple: meet patients where they already are and connect them to a broader network of care. Once patients enter the system, they can access additional services including pharmacy support, X-rays, dental care and other medical resources.<\/p>\n
Health leaders say the need is significant. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of people in the community lack consistent access to ongoing health care.<\/p>\n
For patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, the program goes even further. Doctors will combine medical treatment with customized weekly meals designed by dietitians to support each patient\u2019s condition and improve outcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo along with the medications that we as doctors are going to give to them, also the nutrition aspect of it, so they\u2019re able to improve their health care,\u201d said Dr. Subhakararao Medidi, MD., with Suncoast Community\u00a0Health.<\/p>\n
Leaders believe this personalized approach could help reduce hospital visits while improving long-term health across the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next step we\u2019re taking is saying, how can we make a person even healthier?\u201d Mantz said.<\/p>\n