Food pharmacy partnership helps Georgetown County patients access nutritious food

Dana Mitchel, RD, LD, director of community health and nutrition for Lowcountry Food Bank, used her keynote remarks at the recent Compassion Brunch hosted by St. James Health and Wellness to highlight a partnership she said is helping patients bridge the gap between food insecurity and nutrition security.

“Nutrition security is not just having access to food, but having access to the food your body needs to thrive,” Mitchel said. 

Mitchel opened with what she called an “attitude of gratitude,” calling St. James Health and Wellness a “shining light” in Georgetown County and a key partner in Lowcountry Food Bank’s Food for Health initiative, which connects clinics with food access resources for patients who screen positive for food insecurity.

She pointed to Sheila, a McClellanville resident and longtime St. James patient who uses the food pharmacy for fresh produce, dairy and poultry. Sheila said the program lowers her grocery costs while supporting her health.

“It’s stories like Sheila’s that make choosing this attitude of gratitude just a little bit easier,” Mitchel said.

Mitchel also underscored the need in Georgetown County, where she said 8,600 people are food insecure, including one in seven residents and one in five children. About 45% of county households earn less than a survivable wage, she said, while rising costs for food, health care, housing and transportation make it harder for families to meet basic needs.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done from an advocacy and policy standpoint,” Mitchel said. “But there are people who need assistance now to bridge this gap.”

The partnership between Lowcountry Food Bank and St. James Health and Wellness began after St. James leaders sought ways to help patients access the foods they needed to heal.

Lowcountry Food Bank had launched its Food for Health program in 2021 with shelf-stable food boxes for clinics, but Mitchel said the model was limited. When the food bank proposed an onsite market, St. James staff offered a former pharmacy space at the McClellanville clinic.

The partners saw the potential for a neighborhood-market model where patients could choose fresh, frozen and shelf-stable foods that met their medical and nutritional needs.

The food pharmacy opened in 2023. The partners expected about 50 patients a month, but participation quickly grew to 100 to 120 patients monthly.

Community support helped keep the market stocked, Mitchel said, and St. James later hired a staff member to run it. The program also created an unexpected job opportunity for Pauline Gilliard, a patient who began helping stock shelves during a delivery and was later hired to support the market.

“The market brought nourishment, healing, hope and even a job to the patients of St. James Health and Wellness,” Mitchel said.

The model later expanded to Choppee after data showed higher demand for nourishing food and diabetes support in the upper part of Georgetown County, where Mitchel said diabetes prevalence ranges from 21% to 23%.

Since the program began in 2023, St. James Health and Wellness has distributed 59,000 pounds of food, equivalent to about 49,000 meals, Mitchel said.

Mitchel urged continued support to keep the markets stocked as food and fuel costs rise, saying the program helps residents manage blood pressure and blood sugar, reduce health care expenses, nourish children and support families.

“I am so grateful for the work I get to do because I get to partner with people and organizations like St. James Health and Wellness and help our community thrive,” Mitchel said.