Food insecurity is still a widespread issue in Kansas City. Margo Quiriconi, Director of Community Health Initiatives for Children’s Mercy Kansas City, spoke at the April 16, 2018 LINC Commission meeting. She discussed issues that have been identified by the community as priority and significant health needs in their latest guide The State of Children’s Health.

Priority health needs included: Access to Health Care, Mental/Behavioral Health, and Infant Mortality. Both Obesity and Food Insecurity were identified as a significant health issue for families.

Over 29% of families in the Clay, Jackson, and Wyandotte County stated that they worry about whether their food would run out before they got money to buy more. Over 20% said that the food they had didn’t last and didn’t have enough money.

In the Summer of 2017, 19 hospitals participated in a Summer Food Program including three Children’s Mercy hospitals in the Kansas City metro. They provided 4,836 meals in partnership with Harvesters of Kansas City and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Families were also given a $5 “food prescription” to Truman Medical Center’s Healthy Harvest Market, a mobile food bank. Future plans to address food insecurity issues are the launch of a community garden at 22nd St. and Gilliam Rd in Kansas City, Missouri.

More information about the Community Health Needs Assessment and Children’s Mercy programs can be obtained by contacting Margo Quiriconi at mlquiriconi@cmh.edu

You can also view the health assessment here.