Food for Health program works to improve health outcomes

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County’s rate of adults who are diagnosed with diabetes exceeds the statewide average, according to Health Compass Milwaukee.

A least 11.1% of adults in the county are diagnosed with the disease compared to 9.1% statewide, 2022 datas shows.

Milwaukee Health Care Partnership also lists heart disease as a leading cause of death in Milwaukee County, with early death rates higher than the rest of the state.

The nonprofit organization, Food For Health, is working to improve health outcomes and advance health equity in Milwaukee County and beyond.

Food For Health offers a program for low-income community members, who have or are at risk of developing chronic health conditions.

(Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)

Participants in the program get 10 different medically tailored meals every week, free of charge. The meals are also available for purchase by anyone at Food For Health’s facility in Milwaukee’s central city.

Vice President of Food Services Jona Silva oversees the meals. As a chef, he said he takes great pride in making sure people have access to fresh food.

“I want to make food that is clean and healthy, that is accessible to anyone,” said Silva. “It’s about helping more people get exposed to this type of food and start making incremental changes in their lives to have a better lifestyle. By having access to good food, medical bills and other costs can start to go down.”

In addition to the special meals, people in the program are assigned a health coach, receive biometric screenings to track progress, learn how to cook healthy and get help building exercise into their everyday lives.

April Newsome was referred to the program while pregnant with her daughter, A’Myla. She said it led to a healthier pregnancy and delivery. She suffered from high blood pressure during previous pregnancies.

April Newsome was referred to the program while pregnant with her daughter, A’Myla. (Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)

“It’s a good opportunity, and it really helped me a lot,” Newsome said.

A Food For Health study randomly selected 100 participants and tracked their health over six months in the program. The results showed that 89% of them achieved healthy A1C (blood sugar) levels. Ninety-four percent achieved healthy blood pressure levels. Collectively, the group lost a combined 2,800 pounds.

Vice President of Food Services Jona Silva oversees the meals. (Spectrum News 1/Wendy Strong)

Those are the kind of positive outcomes that inspire Kathy Koshgarian, the president and CEO of the organization. Koshgarian said she founded Food For Health because she experienced the challenge of food insecurity first-hand while growing up.

Koshgarian said she knows what it feels like to be hungry and lack nutrition.

“Being young and growing up in a low-income household, food insecurity is real,” said Koshgarian. “What is even more real is nutritional insecurity.”

Koshgarian said she wants all families, regardless of income, to have easier access to healthy food and lifestyle choices.

“In the state of Wisconsin, nearly half of all residents are living with type 2 diabetes and are obese,” she said. “And our marginalized communities — where there is a significant concentration in Milwaukee and other urban areas — that prevalence increases by about nine-fold.”

Food For Health depends on public and private donation to serve the community. To find out more information, visit its website.