Bassett Healthcare Network Partnership with Cooperstown Food Pantry Expands to Support Patients During Pregnancy

Support from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Chobani®, and the Cooperstown Rotary Foundation Makes Free, Nutritious Food Available to Pregnant Patients in Need

Bassett Healthcare Network's successful partnership with the Cooperstown Food Pantry is expanding to support pregnant patients facing financial hardship.

Through the Food is Medicine program, Bassett partners with the pantry to provide medically-tailored food items to cancer patients and their family members if they are dealing with financial hardship during treatments. Now pregnant patients will join cancer patients and receive the same support if they are struggling to afford meals through a Healthy Families, Healthy Futures expansion.

The expansion launched at the end of June, with the first pregnant patient receiving non-perishable food items to take home following a medical appointment. Patients now also have access to fresh refrigerated items and frozen items.

"As a midwife caring for families at Bassett, my patients inspired the development of Healthy Families, Healthy Futures. This perinatal food pantry recognizes the important role nutrition plays in health by helping patients access nourishing foods during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Caring for families throughout the transition to parenthood has shown me both their incredible resilience and the challenges that can make accessing resources more difficult," said Sarah Maylin, CM, RM, MSM, certified nurse midwife at Bassett who led the development of this expansion. "Through this program, we are working to reduce barriers and support healthier outcomes for parents and babies, recognizing that nutrition during pregnancy and early parenthood can have lasting impacts on health. I am grateful for the support of our department, the food pantry, and our funding partners whose collaboration made this initiative possible."

Women's Health practitioners at Bassett will screen all prenatal patients for food insecurity during or around the time of their appointment held at the 28-week mark of their pregnancy. If the patient expresses concern about having access to healthy food during pregnancy, the patient will be offered enrollment in the program. After giving birth, the patient can continue to receive food through the program until the six-week postpartum mark.

This expansion is made possible, in part, through the support and generosity of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS), Chobani®, the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, and the Rotary Club of Cooperstown.

Excellus BCBS supports the program as part of its mission as a not-for-profit health plan, investing in efforts that address health disparities and social determinants of health across its 31-county region.

"We're proud to support this program because access to healthy food is an important part of a healthy pregnancy," said Tony Vitagliano, regional president of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. "By helping connect pregnant women with nutritious foods, we can support better health outcomes for mothers and babies while addressing barriers that can make it difficult for families to get the resources they need."

Volunteers from Chobani traveled to the Cooperstown Food pantry on June 18 to help put together the first 50 packages of food, donated by Chobani, to get the program started. These packages included SuperMilk, a shelf-stable dairy product rich in nutrients. One of Chobani's most integral philanthropic goals is to bring an end to hunger and food insecurity.

"Food has the power to heal, nurture, and bring people together. Chobani is proud to support a program that helps families access nutritious food where they already receive trusted care, creating healthier futures one family at a time," said Kristie Baker, Community Impact Specialist for Chobani.

Funding in the amount of $2,000 was granted to the Food is Medicine Program through the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York (part of Feeding America) and an additional $1,000 grant was received from the Rotary Foundation of Cooperstown.

"We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a full, healthy life. Partnerships between healthcare organizations, non-profits, and community partners are essential to accomplishing this goal. We are so thankful for the generosity and collaboration of our partners - Chobani, Bassett Healthcare Network, the Rotary Foundation of Cooperstown, and the Regional Food Bank for helping support our community members of Otsego County and surrounding areas," said Deanna Varney Director of Operations at the Cooperstown Food Pantry.

"We are grateful for our partnership with the Cooperstown Food Pantry and for the generous support of so many community partners as we launch this exciting new Women's Health initiative. We are thrilled to expand the support we already provide to women and families through our breastfeeding and childbirth education programs, building on these services with additional resources that promote health and wellness throughout every stage of life," said Karen Yacobucci, BSN, RN, Nurse Supervisor of Pediatrics, Primary Care, and Women's Health at Bassett.

To learn more about prenatal services at Bassett Healthcare Network, visit https://www.bassett.org/pregnancy.