skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Governor Sets October as Hunger and Food Security Awareness Month

play audio
Play

Thursday, October 19, 2017   

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is proclaiming October Hunger and Food Security Awareness Month.

His proclamation will be read at Peaceful Belly Farm in Garden City and highlight the fact that many families in the Gem State aren't sure where their next meal is coming from. Peaceful Belly Farm is participating in the "Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Through Community-Supported Agriculture" pilot program, part of the Food is Medicine project.

Josie Erskine, farm partner at Peaceful Belly, said local farms play a crucial role in communities.

"So, is there a way to build community within community by getting local food into households that maybe don't feel like they have access to that food? And by giving them access, does that change their health, their perception of their community?” Erskine said.

In his proclamation, Otter said the state's many farms, and its partnership with hunger relief organizations such as the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force, has been integral to providing nutritious meals to food insecure families.

But before families get their locally grown produce, it's important to know who is in need. That's where the medical community comes in. The Food is Medicine project works with clinics on the "screen and intervene" program.

Screen and intervene is a two-part questionnaire that helps identify families who are in need of food resources. Mary Morgan, a nurse practitioner and director of the Meridian School Clinic, walks through the low-key process when a parent indicates they have experienced or are experiencing food insecurity.

"Just say, 'Hey, you know, we have some resources. There's a program that we're doing to connect people with support to help get more food and other needs if you have them,’” Morgan explained. "And then they sign a form saying yes, they're interested, and I refer to Food is Medicine."

Morgan said screen and intervene has been highly effective and that the Food is Medicine project goes a step further. Through the project and Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force, families are able to get healthy food.

"The idea is to get them with fresh produce so that they can work on obesity, work on not getting diabetes, work on high blood pressure in their family, trying to avoid heart disease, those kinds of things,” she said.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021