In 2025, Healthworks, the Kansas Hospital Association, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and Kansas Health Institute collaborated to produce the issue brief Hospital Efforts to Improve Access to Healthy Foods. The brief builds on findings from a 2023 statewide hospital survey and insights gathered during a 2025 listening session with 18 Kansas hospitals and health systems. It was developed to better understand how hospitals are addressing healthy food access, why they view nutrition as a community health priority, and what challenges and opportunities exist for expanding this work.
Hospital Efforts to Improve Access to Healthy Foods
2 Min Read
Nov 17, 2025
By
Tatiana Y. Lin, M.A., Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore, M.Sc.,Karen Braman, R.Ph., M.S. (KHA),
Jennifer Findley (KHA)
Key Findings:
- Hospitals view access to healthy foods as part of their responsibility to support community health beyond clinical care.
- Common challenges highlighted by hospitals include cost, availability and quality of food, workforce capacity and reimbursement structures.
- Hospitals collaborate with community partners to expand access to healthy food.
- Participants viewed artificial intelligence as a promising tool to expand organizational capacity for improving access to healthy foods.
- Hospitals highlighted the need for policy and regulatory changes to improve reimbursement, as well as partnerships to increase bargaining strength.
The brief, Hospital Efforts to Improve Access to Healthy Foods, emphasizes that access to nutritious food is a critical driver of health outcomes. Healthy eating is closely linked to chronic disease prevention, improved recovery and overall well-being, making nutrition an increasingly important focus for hospitals working to improve community health. Earlier survey results showed that many Kansas hospitals believe supporting healthy food access aligns with their mission, prompting deeper exploration through the listening session.
Discussions with hospital leaders revealed that many organizations see food access as an extension of their responsibility beyond clinical care. Participants described persistent barriers, including the cost and availability of fresh foods, staffing and capacity limitations, and reimbursement structures that often do not support nutrition-related interventions. Despite these challenges, hospitals reported strong collaboration with community partners such as food pantries, schools, local growers and health coalitions.
The brief also highlights emerging strategies and future opportunities. Hospitals pointed to innovative approaches, including food distribution initiatives, nutrition education and technology-enabled solutions. Participants identified policy and system changes — particularly improved reimbursement for nutrition services and stronger partnerships within local food systems — as key factors that could help hospitals expand efforts to improve access to healthy foods across Kansas communities.
About Kansas Health Institute
The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.