Food Pharmacy Opens At Medical Center

LARGO, MD — A food pharmacy has opened at the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, which aims to support patients by reducing barriers to food security and encouraging healthy eating for those with chronic disease, expecting parents and others.

The Capital Area Food Bank has established several food pharmacies in partnership with hospitals and clinics across the region. If a patient at one of the healthcare facilities screens positive for food insecurity based on their answers to a brief questionnaire, they receive a “prescription” to the on-site food pharmacy.

"For each of our food pharmacy programs, the food bank’s dietitians create a menu of foods that are responsive to patient health needs. The food bank then provides those foods to the clinical partner to keep on site and distribute to patients," according to the food bank. "These programs not only are providing nutritious food that supports our neighbors in leading healthy, active lives – they’re also contributing to a growing national body of research showing the role that food can play in medical care."

Every time food-insecure patients have a doctor’s appointment, they can take home 30 to 40 pounds of fresh produce and shelf-stable foods, including proteins and whole grains. In addition to groceries, families also receive recipe cards and other nutritional assistance to help them better manage their health conditions.

The first food pharmacy opened in October 2021 at Children’s National Hospital, serving patients at the hospital’s Diabetes Care Clinic.

A second food pharmacy was added at the hospital’s primary care clinic in Columbia Heights in the summer of 2024.

In September 2024, CAFB launched the first of two food pharmacies in partnership with Unity Health Care at Unity’s East of the River Health Center.

“The more we can bundle – at least these two items together, healthcare and nutrition – the more likely it is that people are actually able to take care of themselves and lead healthier, more productive lives,” Capital Area Food Bank’s President and CEO Radha Muthiah told WAMU.

The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center also has a partnership with Asawana Farms, Growing its own kale, collard greens and Swiss chard right on hospital grounds for the winter season.