COBTH Home
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Introduction
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Resouces
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Public Health Champion
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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
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Boston Medical Center
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
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Cambridge Health Alliance
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Caritas Carney Hospital
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Caritas Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center
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Children's Hospital Boston
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Dana-Farber Cancer-Institute
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Faulkner Hospital
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Lahey Clinic Medical Center
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Massachusetts General Hospital
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Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
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Tufts Medical Center
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VA Boston Healthcare System
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COBTH Community Benefits Committee
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COBTH Hospital Cancer Rides
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COBTH Domestic Violence Council |
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Hunger is a very real issue for many patients served at Boston Medical Center (BMC), impacting their health in the long and short term. BMC’s Food Pantry provides patients referred by their provider with up to two weeks of nutritionally appropriate food per household per month to promote physical health and prevent future illness. However, many patients remain plagued by food insecurity, meaning they are unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all  household members because there is a lack of money or other resources for food. Households headed by single women and men, blacks, and Hispanics experience higher food insecurity rates than the national average of 10.9 percent. Massachusetts historically had an extremely low enrollment of eligible families in the Food Stamp program: the ratio of eligibility to enrollment was just 43 percent in 2003. Rising energy costs compound the problem: it is difficult for low-income families to prioritize how they spend their meager incomes. In response to this “Heat OR Eat” phenomenon, BMC’s Medical-Legal Partnership for Children (MLPC) created the Energy Clinic with the goals of increasing enrollment of eligible families in the Food Stamp Program and securing discounts on families’ energy bills. Law students, paralegals and lawyers participating in the Energy Clinic screen families served by the Food Pantry and also take referrals from pediatricians. This is the Bridge family’s story:
A family of seven (all U.S. citizens) was referred to the Energy Clinic by their child’s pediatrician at BMC. They had accumulated debt, $975 for gas service, $798 for electricity and $967 for water. The family was not receiving Food Stamps and did not realize they could apply. The father’s full time job was the family’s primary source of income, however for the past two months he had not been working due to medical problems. MLPC’s Energy Clinic staff screened the family and found they were eligible for $375 per month in Food Stamps. The family received $530 in expedited Food Stamps within seven days of their application and $370 on a monthly basis thereafter. In addition, the Energy Clinic’s staff renegotiated a payment plan with the water company and secured low-income discounts with the gas and electric companies.
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