UVA Health has expanded its Dialysis Food Pharmacy Program to all of its dialysis centers, ensuring patients facing food insecurity can receive healthy, kidney friendly foods for free.
Food pharmacies opened in July at the UVA Health dialysis centers in Augusta, Culpeper and Page. Dietitians at each unit order nutritious food from the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank that is suitable for patients with kidney disease, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, condiments and spices. Patients then pick up the food bags when they visit the dialysis unit for care and receive nutrition education, recipes and referrals to other community resources as needed. Patients in need typically receive food once a month but can receive food weekly if needed.
“We’re leading the way with our focus on addressing food insecurity within UVA Health Dialysis, eliminating additional travel concerns for patients – and easing the ever-growing burden of choosing food, medicine or transportation to dialysis,” said Lesley McPhatter, MS, RDN, CSR, the clinical nutrition manager for UVA Health Lynchburg Dialysis. “We are committed to doing whatever it takes to continue and expand the program across UVA Health Dialysis.”
Between March 2020 – when a pilot program was launched at the Charlottesville dialysis center with a Blue Ridge Area Food Bank grant – and the end of 2024, the food pharmacies distributed 125,887 pounds of food, with more than 450 UVA Health dialysis patients having participated in the program.
Janice Callender, RD, the dietitian for UVA Health Augusta Dialysis, said the initial feedback from patients at her center has been very positive, with patients looking forward to receiving food each month.
“Many of our patients have very limited resources and dialysis takes a toll on them in many ways,” she said. “With the food pharmacy, patients and their families are receiving food which should improve their nutritional status and overall health.”
Patients at the UVA Health dialysis centers in Culpeper and Page are also excited about the new initiative, said Skyler Barbour, RD, the UVA Health dietitian working at those centers.
“My patients really appreciate the food pharmacy and the efforts put forth to keep it up and running. Our goal is to combat food insecurity in our population and we’ve done our best to normalize the experience of receiving food at our clinics,” he said. “We want there to be no barriers for participating and receiving nutritious, renal-friendly foods from our program.”
Since July 2023, the program has been entirely self-funded through more than $60,000 in donations, which will become more vital as the program continues to grow. To donate:
- Go to the UVA Health web page on UVA’s Give Campus website and choose “Dialysis Food Pharmacy Program” in the “designation” dropdown.
- Visit the UVA Health Dialysis Food Pharmacy team web page on the UVA Health Foundation site.
