Food as Medicine: How Cleveland Clinic Is Nourishing Community Health

Food insecurity doesn’t always mean going hungry — it can also mean not having access to nutritious food. At Cleveland Clinic, leaders see nutritious food as more than high-quality fuel for your body.

“We look at food as medicine and we look at food as something that we can engage communities around,” Vickie Johnson, Cleveland Clinic’s executive vice president and chief community officer, told the AHA’s Advancing Health podcast. “It’s easy to understand that at the foundational level, everyone needs access to food, but it needs to be good food.”

This perspective reflects a growing trend across health care: using food and nutrition to improve long-term outcomes.

From Food Deserts to Fresh Markets

For decades, Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood lacked a full-service grocery store. Many residents relied on gas stations and convenience stores for daily meals. In 2018, community members told Cleveland Clinic that the best way the health system could help was to bring in a quality grocery retailer.

“This community did not have what retailers look for to make a good business decision. But what they did have is a committed partner in Cleveland Clinic,” Johnson said.

Leveraging its role as an anchor institution, Cleveland Clinic used workforce, patient, and visitor data to attract a 40,000-square-foot Meijer grocery store to the neighborhood. The result:

• Fresh groceries available locally for the first time in 30 years.
• More than 50 new jobs created.
• Elimination of the community’s “food desert” designation.

Food Beyond the Hospital Walls

Cleveland Clinic’s food-as-medicine strategy reaches far beyond clinical care. The health system examines food access and nutrition from multiple angles:

• At the bedside. Nutritious meals for patients during hospital stays.
• On campus. Healthy dining options for families and caregivers.
• In the community. Partnerships with vendors, chefs and organizations like the American Heart Association to bring cooking demonstrations, recipes and nutrition education to local libraries and community centers.

“The whole approach we use is how do we leave the hospital? We want to go where people are so that we have the greater opportunity to have an impact on the health outcomes,” Johnson explained.

Targeted Programs for Moms and Kids

Recognizing that nutrition is especially critical for mothers and children, Cleveland Clinic designed the Healthy Moms and Healthy Babies program. This initiative provides pregnant women with $200 per month for healthy groceries, plus support from community health workers.

“Through that experience, we’re able to stay with that mom throughout the first year of the baby’s birth. When we change behavior and recognize, ‘I’m actually going to change how I eat and what I purchase,’ then we can expect… an increase in the birth weight of the newborn, and a healthier community at the end of this work,” Johnson said.

Measuring Impact Over Time

Unlike surgery or medication, the outcomes of food and nutrition programs take longer to emerge. Johnson acknowledged that patience and persistence are critical:

“Sometimes we get caught up in huge numbers, but every success is huge to that individual. Celebrate 10 people completing an initiative, celebrate 30, and then those 30 are going to share that experience with their neighbors.”

The Cleveland Clinic team measures short-term indicators like increased knowledge, behavior change, and access to nutritious food, while tracking long-term outcomes such as reduced medication use and healthier pregnancies.

Key Takeaways for Health Care Leaders

Cleveland Clinic’s “food as medicine” work offers a model that other hospitals and health systems can adapt. Health care leaders can:

• Think broadly about food. Address not just hunger, but access to nutritious options that fuel long-term health.
• Leverage anchor status. Use workforce, patient, and vendor relationships to attract and sustain grocery and retail partners.
• Engage beyond the hospital walls. Bring education, cooking demonstrations, and community partnerships into neighborhoods.
• Focus on priority populations. Design targeted programs for groups with the greatest needs, such as mothers, infants, and children.
• Measure progress patiently. Track small wins and behavior changes that build toward healthier communities over time.