Immigration Status as a Social Determinant of Health – Focus On: Food Insecurity
Manna was proud to contribute to the Consumer Health Foundation’s recent briefing paper “Immigration Status as a Social Determinant of Health – Focus On: Food Insecurity”. CHF and their partners are presenting a series of briefing papers to explore immigration as it relates to health, hunger and poverty, and worker’s issues. This paper was a joint effort between the Food Research & Action Center, D.C. Hunger Solutions and Maryland Hunger Solutions. Manna’s Director of Programs, Jenna Umbriac, and former outreach worker, Maria Chavez, provided input regarding Manna’s efforts to provide SNAP application assistance and the challenges faced by many immigrants and their families when it comes to food access.
“Despite the compelling research demonstrating the positive contributions immigrants make to the economic and social fabric of the United States, false narratives disparaging immigrants are prevalent and too often take root in restrictive policies aimed at immigrants. These false narratives…heighten the struggles immigrant households face in terms of addressing social determinants of health, including access to a consistent healthy, nutritious diet and willingness to participate in federal nutrition programs.”
This brief examines barriers and opportunities in the region to improving the food security and the health of immigrant households: http://www.consumerhealthfdn.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SDOH_BriefingPaper_FoodInsecurity.pdf
