Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health Supporting Neighbors in Need

Front-line health care workers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, learned that older adults and people with compromised immune systems in the communities they serve were lacking resources needed to get basic groceries delivered to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The health system and several community partners quickly created a pilot program called Neighborhood Provisions to distribute food to people vulnerable to the virus.

“It’s been difficult for some of my patients to know what resources exist,” Roshani R. Patel, M.D., a surgeon at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Manchester, said in a news release. Dr. Patel helped inspire the project over concerns for her vulnerable patients. “They are overwhelmed. Many can pay for food but can’t find a central location to see what their options are.”

The Neighborhood Provisions website page lists restaurants, small grocers and farms with delivery services and volunteers who can help. The website also facilitates donations to local food banks that help individuals and families experiencing food insecurity due to economic circumstances.

Neighborhood Provisions will continue for as long as necessary to address the COVID-19 crisis, and if successful, may become a permanent part of the food supply resource for people in need.