Because of the generosity of corporate and individual donors, we are helping to eliminate barriers to nutritional wellness by providing healthy food free of charge to all cancer infusion patients at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial facilities.
cancer infusion patients
and their families have received food
since 2021
pounds of food
have been distributed
since 2021
cost to cancer
infusion patients
and their families
The Oncology Complimentary Nutrition Stations at Ingalls Hospital provides free food to all oncology patients and their families, no questions asked. On March 1st, 2023, the Dietetic Interns in collaboration with the Center for Food Equity in Medicine, and the Ingalls Oncology department, hosted a Pop-up Produce event, providing free fresh produce and healthy food preparation guidance to all oncology patients at our Flossmoor, Tinley, and Harvey locations. We are grateful for their generous support and for the opportunity to serve the needs of our patients.
“I was losing weight because I didn’t have good food to eat. Since the stations opened I have put on weight.”
LAVERNE
Some of our generous donors are Ingalls Development Foundation, The Ingalls Auxiliary Board, The Center for Food Equity In Medicine, and Frankfort Pantry.
Oncology Nutrition Stations can be found on Harvey, Tinley Park, and Flossmoor campuses.
Good nutrition is an important and often overlooked part of a cancer patient’s treatment. The Ingalls Development Foundation, in partnership with the Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center and Feed 1st organization, has created nutrition stations specifically for oncology infusion patients. Our goal is not only bettering patients’ quality of life and meeting their nutritional goals, but also addressing food insecurities among patients for whom good nutrition is not easily accessible or available. Costs of prescription drugs and treatments, paired with poor or no insurance coverage, can force patients to choose between quality food and other necessities.
Community partner, Canadian National Railway (CN), has committed $25,000.00 toward our Complimentary Nutrition Stations and food insecurity work. CN’s effort will expand the reach of Ingall’s Nutrition Stations and further advance health equity while contributing to positive health outcomes for patients and their families.
