Where Food is Medicine

THE CROSSROADS STORY

Since 2001, Crossroads Community Services has nourished people and powered change in Dallas, Ellis, and Navarro Counties. We believe that when food equity is restored, people will have access to the food they need to live healthier lives and thrive. We desire to reimagine the intersection between poverty and equitable access to food by building nutrition-stable communities.

Crossroads’ mission is to use a collaborative approach to revolutionize the pantry distribution model through food equity research, client-centered services, and community partner engagement.

The actualization of this mission, in every way, is the Crossroads Market at RedBird. As a known innovator in food distribution, with a research basis, we will implement the "nutrition pharmacy" concept to optimally address food insecurity, focusing on improving chronic disease health outcomes for referred patients and their family members. Consistent nutritious food has been proven through a myriad of studies to be a key indicator of improving the health factors affecting food-insecure communities. From Chicago to Houston, food banks, pantry/market organizations, and healthcare facilities, others are successfully proving that food is the best medicine for thousands of patients with immediate impact and long-term results.

By January 2024, Crossroads will join the leaders in the work for our Southern Dallas residents. With the support of community leaders, advocates, and funding partners, we will raise $1,000,000 to renovate a space in RedBird Mall and support three years of programming. This “nutrition pharmacy” concept will create proximity to existing healthcare clinics, UTSW, Parkland, and the planned Children's Health clinic. In continuation of our model to serve the whole needs of an individual or family, we will invite partners who may provide wraparound services for shoppers during their visits. Together with our food distribution partners and community service leaders, we are committed to building stable tables in communities that need us the most.

THE FIVE WHY'S

Why Crossroads?

For Crossroads, a known innovator, this is the next iteration in revolutionizing the pantry distribution model according to our mission and supports our data from 13 years of research in food equity. Why Redbird?

Why Southern Dallas?

According to Dallas County Health Needs Assessment, all very high, high, and moderate food desert areas are located in the southern half of Dallas County. Fourteen percent (14%) of Dallas County residents live below the federal poverty level (FPL). This ranges from 5% in Outer Northeast Dallas to 25% in both South and Southwest Dallas.

Diabetes prevalence is higher in Dallas County than in Texas or the U.S. In Dallas County, 11.4% of the the population suffers from this illness compared to 9.6% in Texas and 8% in the U.S. Communities with the highest diabetes mortality are in the southern half of Dallas County.

Disparities are found within southern Dallas County and pockets of northern suburban areas. These communities suffer from high levels of unemployment, low socioeconomic status, disproportionate disease rates, and substantial resource deserts.

Why RedBird?

Proximity matters. ReImagine Redbird has created a wellness hub of services. The addition of the nutrition pharmacy concept provides immediate accessibility for patients and their families to healthy foods to address chronic conditions impacting equitable living conditions. Our Southern Dallas residents deserve this complete access to good overall health.

Why Take the Risks?

The risk of not piloting this concept is greater. The rise in chronic illness due in large part to the lack of consistent nutritious foods is reaching its own pandemic proportions. Innovative solutions are critical to creating food/health partnerships that improve healthy lifestyles, reduce healthcare costs, and change generational eating and health habits.

Why Now?

Never before has there been a hyper-focus on the intersection of food and health care with available partnerships in this community. Together with the health partners, we can pioneer the food as medicine concept in our highest-need areas to form sustainable and scalable solutions to food insecurity.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Serve clients/patient families who are referred from initially only RedBird medical partners, UTSW, and Parkland (5-20 clients per week with an average of 30 lbs per person in the household, 15 of produce).

1. The first visit will include a food navigation consultation and a guided walk through the market to discuss healthy ways to prepare food, i.e., washing canned beans to help reduce salt intake.

2. Focus on food navigation for referred patients with chronic illnesses, i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

3. Patients will shop at the RedBird nutrition market twice per month for three months as part of typical protocols for follow-up visits of chronic disease patients and to encourage consistent visits. Then patients may transition to the primary market using the same intake process and products available to streamline product ordering, as required.

4. All clients will be eligible to participate in Culinary Classes as part of the UTSW Culinary Medicine program upon launch, in Crossroads kitchen, February 2024.

OUR NEW SPACE

In the first six months of this new pilot, 5-10 clients will be served daily, and up to 50 patients/shoppers per week. The number of patients/shoppers may increase to meet the demand. The maximum number of patients served will be 200 per month, which includes walk-ins. Based on the need and data-based outcomes, this is a scalable concept for wellness hubs that will co-locate a “nutrition pharmacy” Market concept with other healthcare and social service providers who serve low and no-income individuals and families.