The conversations around the lack of access to health care and affordable healthy food options among the poorest communities in Western New York aren’t new, but the Covid-19 pandemic and the mass shooting in East Buffalo last May have heightened the awareness of these generational problems.
East Buffalo native Alex Wright, the president and founder of African Heritage Food Co-op, has been part of that dialogue for the past decade. He didn’t need any extra motivation to find lasting solutions for the community he grew up in, but the events of the past few years have only intensified his voracity.
“It shows me the way I was thinking was correct,” Wright says, “and I need to hurry up and get things moving for the community.”
With the help of Independent Health, Wright is turning talk into action.
Michael W. Cropp, M.D., president and CEO of Independent Health, has always believed that health care is a relationship business built on trust.
To build that trust between provider and patient, Independent Health is partnering with passionate and dedicated people, like Wright and others, to bring assistance and resources to the front lines of their communities.
“If we want to reach people, we have to meet them through their trusted relationships,” Cropp says. “I think we’ve realized that there’s a lot of talent out there. If we just bring a little bit to the table in terms of support, watch what happens next.”
Delivering on promises
Locally and nationwide, deaths due to Covid-19 were disproportionate across minority populations during the height of the pandemic. Cropp says part of that was due to underlying diseases that could be traced back to poor nutrition stemming from a lack of access to fresh food where they live – a concept known as “food as medicine.”
Born out of a shared vision of making sure no one goes without healthy and affordable food options, the Independent Health Foundation, KeyBank and the African Heritage Food Co-op partnered to purchase a truck with a refrigeration unit that will allow Wright to travel farther, make more deliveries without having to worry about food spoiling, and increase the quantity and quality of produce he is able to carry.
He’ll also be able to work with new clients in addition to the hundreds of deliveries he makes annually working with the Independent Health Foundation’s Healthy Options at Home, Good for the Neighborhood and Soccer for Success programs.
“We have the luxury of being able to source anything but now that we have this truck, it’ll open up so many avenues,” Wright says. “It’s great for us, but I think it’s even greater for the community – the people we bring food to and the people we hire.”
Checking in at home
Dr. Willa Arnet is addressing health care barriers by providing checkups and physicals in the comfort of patients' homes.
Another challenge to community health: people who go without any health care at all.
Before partnering with Independent Health, Dr. Willa Arnet, DNP, AGNP, AHNP-C was already in the process of opening her own business to provide nursing house calls to address barriers – including access, transportation and trust – that have left many in Buffalo going years without seeing a doctor for even basic checkups.
“The city is an area with a greater concentration of diabetes, kidney disease and hypertension,” Arnet says, “so it was heartbreaking to see that if people were managing their chronic conditions or even knew they had one, maybe they would be healthier or alive today.”
With a significant percentage of its own Medicaid members who hadn’t seen a doctor, Independent Health partnered with Arnet to design a pilot program for inactive users, which evolved into Adult Health NP House Calls.
Together, they have been able to review medical histories, conduct physicals, refill prescriptions and make referrals for patients who otherwise would not have been seen. Many were also introduced to the Brook and Foodsmart apps, which serve as a type of personal health coach, helping with physical, social and emotional needs.
“I’m providing health care needs right there in the comfort of their home,” Arnet says. “It shows that you’re important to us and we don’t see you as a group of people but as an individual. You can call us, we’ll talk to you, and we’ll address your needs.”
What’s next
Independent Health’s list of partnerships grows each year.
In the wake of the May 14 shooting, Independent Health and Foodsmart came together to bring its Medicaid members the Food First program – providing unlimited access to nutrition counseling and free grocery delivery for a year. They’ll be expanding the reach of the Food First program by adding the African Heritage Food Co-op as a provider in the next few months.
And Independent Health’s year-old Care For You program, in partnership with Western New York Coordinated Medical Care PC, continues to make health care easier by providing a tailored model to support patients with multiple chronic conditions.
What comes next will continue to focus on equal opportunities for all in need.
“We’re here for one purpose: to make Western New York as healthy as can be,” Cropp says. “We’re finding really committed and capable partners that we can help set up for success. Our ability to be able to help find them, develop them, mobilize them and connect them, that’s the key to the long-term health of this community.”
