NEWSLETTER

COVID’s Impact on Food Insecurity

In this Issue:
 – COVID-19’s Impact on Food Insecurity
 – Announcing NashvilleHealth Hero
 – Davidson County Heat Map
 – Tracking COVID in Tennessee
 – Partner and News Updates

COVID-19’s Impact on Food Insecurity 
The public health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have many Nashvillians turning to charitable food assistance. Prior to the pandemic, Davidson County’s food insecurity rate was nearly 15 percent or almost 100,000 people. Thousands more are newly at risk due to rising unemployment. Second Harvest Food Bank estimates that it is now pushing out an additional 200,000 meals each week.

The demand for charitable food assistance is expected to remain at elevated levels for the foreseeable future. Feeding America projects the food insecurity rate for Tennessee will be 18-19 percent in 2020, with the rate of child food insecurity as high as 27-29 percent.

Adults and children who are food insecure may be at an increased risk for a variety of negative health outcomes and health disparities, including obesity, higher rates of chronic conditions and developmental problems. According to the Nashville Community Health + Well-being Survey an alarming two-thirds of all adults in Davidson County (63.6%) are considered obese or overweight. Learn more about nutrition and wellness habits in Nashville neighborhoods using the survey’s interactive tool. 

To find a food bank in your area, click here.

NashvilleHealth Hero

NashvilleHealth is proud to recognize professionals who are going above and beyond to care for and lead our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Derek Brooks, Executive Chef of The Hermitage Hotel and Capitol Grille, has been using his talents to provide healthy meals to Nashvillians in need. Through culinary partnerships, each week Chef Brooks is preparing meals for the city’s first responders, health workers and others. He has provided more than 6,000 meals to date and is still going. For his leadership and tireless efforts to aid our community we are honored to recognize Chef Derek Brooks as a NashvilleHealth Hero. Thank you Chef Brooks!

Davidson County COVID Heat Map

The density map below is created by the Metro Public Health Department each Monday and is available via the city’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Tracking COVID in Tennessee

Each day, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) releases figures tracking the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in each county and statewide. In an effort to raise awareness about these figures and understand how infection rates are changing, NashvilleHealth shares tracking updates and insights based on TDH data.

Data acquired from the TDH Website, as of May 30 analyzed by Sajid Khan, Change Healthcare and NashvilleHealth Board.

*Total TN & Other County Cases Include Out Of State Cases Diagnosed in TN

Partner & News Updates

Sen. Bill Frist joins Dr. Mark Hyman’s The Doctor’s Farmacy podcast on the impact of a lack of data and science on COVID-19 response and health policy.

The Bipartisan Policy Center hosted a Food Summit featuring U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and other experts on challenges and opportunities for the U.S. food system during COVID-19 pandemic.

Vanderbilt School of Medicine Department of Health Policy recently released an advisory memo on Herd Immunity.

If you would like to submit Partner News, click here.

NashvilleHealth E-briefs

• A Healthy Nashville VIII: COVID-19 Community Response – Nature
• A Healthy Nashville IX: COVID-19 and Heart Health 
• A Healthy Nashville X: COVID-19 and Tobacco, E-Cigarettes

View previous NashvilleHealth E-briefshere.
Find additional COVID-19 response resources and information here.