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AKRON: Cleveland Clinic Akron General has opened a second location of its successful food pantry program and is now serving clients at the hospital’s Women’s Health Center at 676 S. Broadway St., Akron.
The original pantry at Akron General opened in June 2022. Staffed five days a week, it has served 4,134 individuals and 1,714 households to date, averaging more than 60 participants per week, and continues to grow. About half of these individuals are outpatients who are referred by their physician after they expressed that they have struggled to buy food in the past 12 months, and the rest are community members.
The new location, which is in a facility that treats women of all ages with an emphasis on pregnant women and young children, will operate on a smaller scale, with a model in which the staff will give food to people who request it instead of having a full-time pantry staff member on site. This builds on the center’s current practice of distributing items such as diapers to people in need.
“Adding a second pantry location at the Women’s Health Center allows us to serve a broader population,” said Morgan Stocker, who staffs the hospital pantry. “About 80% of the patients who are seen there qualify for assistance, so bringing it directly to them makes a lot of sense.”
Funding for Akron General’s food pantry program was secured by U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes through an Ohio Department of Medicaid grant to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, in collaboration with local hospital systems, when she was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. The purpose of the grant is to support food-insecure patients with chronic disease and their families who live in Summit County.
Once a patient has accessed services through the pantry, they are able to return as often as they need. No fee is charged. The food is provided by the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.
Cleveland Clinic Akron General food pantry
Cleveland Clinic Akron General food pantry
Cleveland Clinic Akron General is a nonprofit healthcare organization that has been improving the health and lives of the people and communities it serves since 1914. Akron General is the hub for Cleveland Clinic’s Southern Region and includes a 532-registered-bed teaching and research medical center in downtown Akron; Akron General Partners, which includes Partners Physician Group; three Health & Wellness Centers; Lodi Hospital; and Akron General Foundation. For more information, visit akrongeneral.org.
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 77,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,658 salaried physicians and researchers, and 19,000 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,699-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, more than 275 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2022, there were 12.8 million outpatient encounters, 303,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 270,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
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