The New York Children's Health Project (NYCHP), a program of the Division of Community Pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center, provides comprehensive health care, including nutrition services, to homeless children and families. In 1997, the program expanded to include homeless victims of domestic violence. These families presented with an increased need for food, more feelings of anxiety about obtaining food and higher rates of hunger than other homeless families. Causes of this increased risk of food insecurity and hunger were identified through informal conversations with both patients and shelter staff and observations by the medical team. An enhanced nutrition initiative was developed to respond to these findings. Activities were implemented in order to develop innovative services to improve access to food and nutrition resources and build the capacity of the shelter system to respond to the food and nutrition needs of homeless victims of domestic violence. Activities included organizing and delivering enhanced nutrition services within the primary care clinic at a major shelter site for victims of domestic violence; collaborating with shelter staff to respond effectively to the food and nutrition needs of residents; improving coordination among domestic violence shelter operators, emergency food programs, WIC and income maintenance centers; informing policy-makers about issues and strategies affecting access to food and nutrition resources for homeless victims of domestic violence to promote system-wide changes.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1) Identify factors which place homeless victims of domestic violence at higher risk for food insecurity and hunger. 2) Identify strategies which can be used to improve the nutritional status of homeless victims of domestic violence
Keywords: Domestic Violence, Food Security
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Division of Community Pediatrics, Montefiore Medical Center
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.