WOONSOCKET – The recent Boston Globe story on Woonsocket’s food desert underscores yet another metric that accurately spotlights the challenges faced by individuals and families that are committed to the city and have called it home for decades and generations.

Food is what psychologist Abraham Maslow characterized as among every human being’s most basic of needs in order to survive.

Reflect on that for a moment that even in the richest nation in the world and even with Rhode Island’s economy, there are segments of the population that at best may get only 1 meal per day and that meal may come from a nonprofit organization such as New Beginnings in Woonsocket or other local non-profits.

It is important to understand the implications for living in a food desert, particularly if you have a very limited income. Generally, the only food outlets are convenience stores that mostly sell highly processed food and have little to no fruits and vegetables.

A regular diet of this is not only not healthy but expensive. If you are a diabetic and primarily have access to only convenience store food, over time your health will deteriorate requiring greater amounts of medical intervention.

A healthy diet is also a critical factor in cognitive development. Now, think about this relative to brain development and children trying to concentrate in school. The absence of a healthy diet can also lead to depression and anxiety.

One of the things that mental health clinicians and case managers as well as primary care physicians typically check in on with their clients and patients is not only their appetite but also the quality of the food they are consuming.

Food deserts are linked to higher rates of intergenerational obesity which eventually lead to other medical concerns such as high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease and sleep apnea, to name a few.

A failure to connect the dots.  
A primary and frequently heard criticism of our health and human services system in Rhode Island and of our state and local elected officials is a failure to connect the dots. In other words, there is a lack of appreciation for problems that intersect such as food insufficiency, inadequate shelter and housing, access to medical and behavioral healthcare, opioid treatment and transportation, to name a few.

Moreover, communities that are struggling economically and otherwise are often left to fend for themselves.

Nonprofits in Woonsocket have had to fight to get every economic, social service and healthcare resource available allocated to the city, a difficult task given the state’s Providence-centric nature.

Where food insufficiency is concerned, there are even fewer resources. While there are some federal subsidies available, there are not enough which means organizations must raise additional funds.

Access to healthy food.  
What should be evident to policymakers is that access to healthy food is connected to a myriad of health outcomes and could have a profound effect on individuals, families and local communities. What if we thought about this differently?

Perhaps, it is time for the General Assembly to consider providing targeted financial support to communities such as Woonsocket to address their food deserts and thereby the overall health of the people most impacted.

This could mean establishing spaces for and developing grocery markets, food hubs that can be sustained, transportation to help people get to the market or perhaps even specialized delivery services for a specific geographic area.

The elephant in the room here is that creative solutions involving the state, local municipalities and non-profits is far cheaper than what we spend on the health disparities that occur from not addressing the problem.

If we applied a more collaborative, community-based approach to investments and interventions that support people, Rhode Island’s overall health and well-being would be in a much better place for all of its citizens.