LifePoint Health, a leading healthcare company dedicated to Making Communities Healthier®, recently began a three-year partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee focused on creating healthier communities throughout the region. This innovative partnership will provide 1.1 million meals of fresh produce and help educate the public about the essential link between proper nutrition and good health.

LifePoint operates 10 hospitals across Tennessee and primarily serves non-urban areas. LifePoint’s hospitals not only provide high-quality healthcare services but also provide vital resources and support to educate the community on important health and wellness topics.

“Beyond the walls of our hospitals, we aim to serve patients across the continuum of care, including providing wellness and prevention programs and services for people of all ages,” said Dr. Rusty Holman, Chief Medical Officer of LifePoint Health. “This partnership will enable us to make communities healthier in a way that our hospitals currently cannot – by fighting food insecurity and making sure people have access to nutrient-rich foods, which are the foundation of good health.”

Lack of nutrition makes the body more susceptible to disease and infection over time, creating a number of potential health issues. Additionally, food insecurity can also delay patients’ recovery from illness. Access to nutritious food is imperative to ensuring that people are healthy and stay well – and out of the hospital.

“Good health starts with good food, and where there is good health, there is the ability to learn, work, provide and give back,” Dr. Holman said.

Dr. Holman and the entire LifePoint team are excited to support Second Harvest’s hunger-relief work and serve as advocates on behalf of our shared mission to create healthier communities. Through volunteering with Second Harvest and our Partner Agencies, LifePoint employees will experience firsthand how lives are changed for the better through access to nutritious meals and groceries.

March is Nutrition Month, and it is the perfect time to highlight how this exciting new partnership will make an impact in Middle Tennessee. Throughout the month, we’ll work together to raise awareness about the important role nutrition plays in the lives of people struggling with food insecurity.