Five years ago when Dr. Pat Cantrell was invited to give a lecture about food insecurity at a community planning conference, she said, “Honestly, it made me realize I didn’t know much about hunger. When you see someone who is overweight you don’t think they need food.”
Later when Dr. Cantrell asked the mother of one of her patients if he was eating fruits and vegetables, she replied that fresh produce was too expensive. The mother didn’t realize that her family qualified for food assistance. Dr. Cantrell got on the phone, dialed 2-1-1, a robust referral system in San Diego, and asked for a Spanish translator. In short order the family was signed up for CalFresh benefits.
This experience made Dr. Cantrell ask herself, “How many patients am I missing? Waiting for patients to tell me that they are having trouble buying healthy food isn’t the answer.”
Realizing that if she didn’t know about the prevalence of hunger and the connection between food insecurity and obesity, other doctors probably didn’t either. Dr. Cantrell began educating everyone from hospital administrators to physician assistants about how to recognize the problem and what to do to help.
Today, Dr. Cantrell is spearheading a movement to end hunger in San Diego County. She developed the San Diego Food Insecurity Coalition in partnership with the San Diego Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Hunger Coalition, San Diego Food Bank, San Diego Chapter of the California Medical Association and 2-1-1.