Health Initiatives

Iron Gate is committed to feeding the hungry and homeless of Tulsa. We know food can make all the difference to someone’s health. And we believe your socio-economic status shouldn’t prevent your access to healthy foods. Iron Gate launched two partnerships in 2020 to improve access to healthy foods to both our community meal guests and our grocery pantry guests. We know food won’t solve all of our guests’ problems,
but healthy eating can be a good start.

Food As Medicine

Iron Gate Tulsa Partners with OU-TU School of Community Medicine Culinary Medicine Program to Promote Nutrition Equity for Those Affected by Homelessness

TULSA, OK – Iron Gate Tulsa is partnering with The Culinary Medicine Program of the OU-TU School of Community Medicine, a branch campus of the OU College of Medicine in Tulsa, in affiliation with OU Health, to bring “food as medicine” for individuals affected by homelessness. As Tulsa’s largest stand-alone soup kitchen, Iron Gate provided 233,122 prepared meals and 45,630 bags of groceries in 2019. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for program services has increased exponentially.

Lack of housing can make it exceptionally difficult for people to manage chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which require healthy food for their control. Thanks to a grant from the Morningcrest Healthcare Foundation, the Iron Gate food service staff will work with OU Culinary Medicine Executive Chef Valarie Carter, MPH, and Marianna Wetherill, OU Culinary Medicine registered dietitian and associated professor, to redesign their soup kitchen menu.

The project will begin with a health needs assessments of Iron Gate guests, followed by piloting of new foods to ensure the final menu redesign fully meets guests’ needs. Lacey Caywood, OU-Tulsa Master of Public Health candidate will co-lead the health needs assessment and development of a technical assistance manual for use by other soup kitchens across the US based on this project’s work.

“Our team is honored to be able to work with Iron Gate to bring food as medicine to those in our community who can benefit from it the most. This is what community medicine is all about,” Wetherill said.

Healthy food access is an important determinant of health and individuals experiencing homelessness face a six-fold increased risk for food insecurity, which implicates chronic disease risk and hinders proper disease management. Food insecurity is significantly associated with hospitalizations and high utilization of emergency departments, which is partly due to not having the foods necessary to manage chronic disease. Soup kitchens, food pantries, and shelters play an essential role within the US food safety net by working to prevent absolute hunger; however, foods provided may lack essential nutrients and not meet the therapeutic needs for those living with chronic disease. Shelters and soup kitchens are often the only reliable source of food for people faced with homelessness, which makes the need for healthy meals so very critical.

As an emergency room physician and lead physician for the Culinary Medicine program, Lori Whelan, M.D., sees the complications from this problem all too often. “More shifts than not, I end up providing care to a homeless patient who is experiencing a hypertension or blood sugar crisis that was likely exacerbated by lack of healthy food options while living on the streets.”

The most recent Tulsa Point-in-Time reported 2,123 ED visits (costing $2.25 million), a 48 percent increase since 2015. Hospitalizations totaled 1,117 (costing $2 million), a 70 percent increase since 2015. These figures are likely to grow as the state continues to face the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent survey conducted in June by the U.S. Census Bureau found nearly half (44.9 percent) of respondents in Oklahoma had experienced a loss of income, nearly half (44.4 percent) of respondents in Oklahoma reported delaying medical care due to the COVID-19 pandemic and nearly a quarter (24.5 percent) reported missing last month’s rent or mortgage payment, or who have slight or no confidence that their household can pay next month’s rent or mortgage on time.

At Iron Gate, demand for meals is up 35% over this time last year. Iron Gate is also providing groceries for 68% more households. Many of those seeking groceries point to the pandemic as the reason they are in need of grocery assistance. Iron Gate has served more than 132,000 meals and provided more than 7,500 households with more than 178,000 pounds of groceries since mid-March.

“The Coronavirus pandemic has really underscored the importance of providing access to healthy food for everyone,” said Carrie Vesely Henderson, Iron Gate’s Executive Director. “We work to provide fresh fruit and vegetables daily for our guests, but this ‘food as medicine’ program will really improve our capacity to provide nutritious meals.” Iron Gate regularly surveys its guests, so leaders are aware that Iron Gate guests face a myriad of health issues. “By working with OU’s Culinary Medicine team we will be able to not only feed people, but also fill our plates with healthier foods. At the end of the day, this is all about our guests and making sure they have the fuel they need to get their lives back on track. Included with the grant is commercial-grade food preparation equipment for whole food cooking techniques. “We are proud to be one of the first soup kitchens in the nation to embark on an initiative like this.”

Healthy Kids, Healthy Families

Iron Gate Is Awarded a Healthy Kids, Healthy Families Grant By Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma to Expand Access to Healthy Foods In Their New Grocery Pantry

TULSA, OK- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK) has selected Iron Gate to receive a $30,000 grant from the Healthy Kids, Healthy Families initiative.

“This grant is so important as Iron Gate looks to scale up our grocery operations in our new facility at Iron Gate on Archer,” said Carrie Vesely Henderson, Iron Gate’s Executive Director. “We are so thrilled to partner with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma to stock our pantry with more healthy and consistent options.”

After more than 40 years in the basement of Trinity Episcopal Church, Iron Gate recently moved into a brand-new facility on Archer in Downtown Tulsa. The new 17,000-square foot facility features a dedicated space for the grocery pantry program. In the previous location, Iron Gate staff transformed the dining room into a mini-market three times a week. In the new Iron Gate on Archer, the grocery pantry will have a permanent dedicated space. With more space and awareness of the program, Iron Gate leaders anticipate the demand for the program will increase.

“Our partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is right on time,” Henderson said. “This money will help Iron Gate scale up our grocery operations, making sure we can keep up with the increased demand that’s come from moving into our new location.”

The program also provides funding to help Iron Gate stock more healthy, consistent options in the grocery pantry. The pantry program offers fresh produce, milk, meat and staple goods such as rice, pasta and beans.

Created in 2011, HKHF supports nonprofit organizations that provide a variety of health-related services, with proven sustainable and measurable programs. The HKHF program provides funding for programs that reach children and their families in four key areas: nutrition, physical activity, preventing/managing disease, and supporting safe environments.

Iron Gate was one of 15 nonprofit organizations to receive a combined total of more than $500,000 in funding from the Healthy Kids, Healthy Families initiative, managed and coordinated by BCBSOK.

https://www.bcbsok.com/newsroom/news-releases/2020/healthy-kids-healthy-families-grants