St. Charles Health System helps patients stay healthy beyond the hospital

St. Charles Health System is expanding its commitment to community health by prioritizing access to affordable, healthy food. As part of its broader community benefit efforts, for the next three years the health system will direct grant funding and resources toward community organizations working to improve food access.

“As people, we know that food and community often go together, and sharing a meal can bring people together and help reduce loneliness. We are excited to fund projects that serve these important priorities and meet the needs we are seeing in our community,” said Carlos Salcedo, manager of community partnerships for St. Charles.

The new focus comes after the system’s 2025 community health needs assessment found that nearly 1 in 4 Central Oregonians identified access to affordable, healthy food as the top factor impacting quality of life — a significant increase from its 2022 report. St. Charles will continue supporting initiatives aimed at reducing loneliness while also investing in programs that address food insecurity, recognizing the strong connection between nutrition and overall well-being.

In addition to community grants, St. Charles is launching new clinical efforts, including a program to provide patients with malnutrition diagnoses with 30 days of shelf-stable nutritional support after discharge. With initial funding, they estimate that they’ll be able to help 500 patients across all four St. Charles hospitals.

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