UnitedHealthcare’s Small Steps Program™ provides healthy food and education to ICHS families

One in five children in Shoreline Schools live in a household that struggles to put food on the table, and more than 23 percent of adults over 60 state-wide are food insecure.

UnitedHealthcare’s Small Steps Program™ Provides Healthy Food and Education to Families at Local Farmers’ Markets in Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties

UnitedHealthcare, in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) project, will contribute more than $125,000 to help Medicaid and food stamp beneficiaries access healthy food and information through the Small Steps program.

Throughout the summer individuals who meet with a provider, health coach or nutritionist at one of 20 partnering Federally Qualified Health Center clinics in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties, will receive a voucher for a local farmers’ market where they can pick up a bag of produce with recipes and food preparation information.

In our area, the participating clinic is ICHS International Community Health Services on Aurora, and the market is the Shoreline Farmer's Market. UnitedHealthcare Small Steps will be on site on September 5, 12, 26 and October 3 to provide additional information on nutrition, diet and exercise.

UnitedHealthcare representatives will talk about food insecurity, which is due to poor access to healthy food across the state, and will be on-site providing nutrition education including fun games and prizes for farmers’ market attendees. Additionally, UnitedHealthcare representatives will hand out tokens for the free produce to patients who are participating with partner clinic ICHS.

Low income patients that visit the Shoreline ICHS clinic in August, September, and October and meet with one of the medical assistants (MAs) onsite will receive the flyer and the healthy eating prescription pad which they bring to the UHC booth at the farmers market.

Shoreline Farmers’ Market, Saturday, 10am -3pm, 155th and Aurora Ave N, Shoreline 98133 (Sears upper parking lot next to Central Market).