ProMedica And The Alliance To End Hunger To Host Free Summit In Atlanta To Address Hunger As A Health Issue

TOLEDO, Ohio, Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With 1 in 6 Americans living in food insecure households, the impact of hunger in our nation is far-reaching. The health effects of poor nutrition include negative consequences on physical and mental development. In fact, U.S. healthcare costs resulting from hunger are $130.5 billion per year, according to the Center for American Progress.

ProMedica, a not-for-profit healthcare organization serving northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, is partnering with the Alliance to End Hunger and the United States Department of Agriculture (UDSA) to host a FREE summit in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 14. The summit at The Carter Center is the second in a series of regional Come to the Table events aimed at encouraging other U.S. healthcare leaders to help end hunger nationwide through creative collaborations with various community partners.

The event will feature an array of experts on hunger and health, including Audrey Rowe, Administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Judith Monroe, MD, FAAFP, Deputy Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and directs the office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support; Marydale DeBor, JD, Founder/Managing Director, Fresh Advantage; as well as experts from Share Our Strength, Piedmont Fayette Hospital, Auburn University, AARP Foundation, and Meals on Wheels.

The Atlanta summit, part of ProMedica's Come to the Table advocacy initiative to address hunger as a health issue, will be held November 14 from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. at The Carter Center, 453 Freedom Parkway NE, Atlanta. The event is free and registration is at www.cometothetableatlanta.eventbrite.com.

The location for this second regional summit is well placed, as Georgia ranks 8th in the nation for food insecurity. With a food insecurity rate of 16.6%, it's above the 14.6% average among the states.

"In February, we successfully launched a collaborative effort with Congressional members and others at our Come to the Table Summit on Capitol Hill," said Randy Oostra, DM, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer at ProMedica. "We saw the need for an ongoing national dialogue about this issue. The intent of the regional summits is to continue engaging healthcare industry leaders, government leaders, social services agencies, and businesses focused on prevention and addressing social determinants of health."

As one of the nation's leaders in addressing hunger as a health issue, ProMedica continues to introduce innovative ways of eliminating hunger. Working with community partners, ProMedica has established a food reclamation program that over the past year has provided 100,000 pounds of unserved food to be repackaged for people at homeless shelters and other feeding sites. The healthcare system has also initiated a program to screen patients for hunger and is working to develop a food pharmacy program that uses nutrition as medicine.

For more information about ProMedica's Come to the Table initiative and the Atlanta summit, please visit www.promedica.org/cometothetablesummit.

About ProMedica

Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica is a mission-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization formed in 1986. ProMedica has more than 15,000 employees and nearly 1,900 physicians with more than 600 healthcare providers employed by ProMedica Physicians. Its 12 hospitals and more than 300 facilities offer comprehensive diagnostic, medical and surgical specialties in heart and vascular, oncology, orthopedics, neurology, and women and pediatric services. ProMedica's mission is to improve health and well-being, with a strong focus on wellness and clinical excellence, as well as innovative, community advocacy programs that address health-related issues such as hunger and obesity. For more information, please visit www.promedica.org.

CONTACT: Gina Sares, 419-469-3906, [email protected]

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SOURCE ProMedica