“It is nice to know I can get through a strong craving using my inner resources and leaning on [peer specialist] support,” one patient says. “Without your support I would not be sober. There are several ways this could end if I stayed on that path, none of them good. Now I at least have a chance.”—Anonymous Patient
Food Farmacy is a one-year, referral-based program that serves patients with food insecurity and a diagnosis of diet-related chronic disease, as well as pediatrics and perinatal populations.
This patient’s story is a testimony to the impact of Presbyterian’s highly successful Peer Support Specialist Program, one of many initiatives that are part of our commitment to improve the health and well-being of people throughout New Mexico. This behavioral health program, along with many others aimed at improving social health and physical health in our communities, is funded in part by Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation’s Campaign for Community Health in New Mexico.
Presbyterian’s community health initiatives leverage our role as a health system to make far-reaching and systemic change. Food as Medicine programs like the Food Farmacy make a difference in the lives of food insecure families by ensuring their access to healthy food and resources, as well as free nutrition and cooking classes. Emergency funding provides support for patients who need assistance with housing down payments, paying utilities, car repairs, emergency housing and much more.
Our state has a tremendous need for community health programs and those demands will only continue to grow. You can be a part of our efforts to make lasting, long-term change by leaving a legacy that supports future generations of New Mexicans in need.
For more information or to make a planned gift that supports Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, contact Justin Schroer at (505) 724-6580 or giftplanning@phs.org.