Staff at the UCLA Health Bowyer Oncology Center began to notice signs of food insecurity among patients receiving chemotherapy infusions. Initially, meals were provided as a courtesy for those who could not leave during treatment, but patterns soon emerged that suggested deeper needs. Patients started requesting lunchtime appointments and expressed frustration when food choices became limited. Medical staff also reported that some individuals were skipping doses of medication because they did not have enough food to take with their medicine.
“We started catching on,” said Nancy Freeman, clinical director for the Bowyer Oncology Center. “These were signs of food scarcity.”
Recognizing this issue, the center made addressing food insecurity a central focus for its annual Commission on Cancer accreditation, which requires identifying barriers to care. Research from 2018 indicates that nearly 28% of people with cancer experience food insecurity.
The Bowyer Center’s current effort involves standardizing procedures to identify patients facing food scarcity and delivering timely resources to them. Freeman explained: “It’s nice that we’re passing out a meal at lunch to everybody, but how do we really get more substantial things to people who truly need it? And then how do we humanely and kindly ask these questions in ways that are not bothersome or embarrassing, so they feel they can reach out and let someone know their needs?”
Cassandra Chambers, a senior administrative analyst with UCLA Health cancer services, joined the initiative after learning about patients missing medication doses due to lack of food. “It sat with me that entire weekend,” Chambers said. “So on Monday, I went in and said, ‘How can I help?’”
Chambers is part of the task force working to streamline processes for identifying those in need and coordinating with local businesses and donors. Donations have included supermarket gift cards and canned foods suitable for patients with dietary restrictions related to their treatment.
The pilot program is now in its fifth month and expanding support efforts beyond just providing meals. This includes offering parking vouchers and other forms of assistance. Freeman noted that many affected individuals may lack access to technology such as cell phones or internet connections, making uniform sharing of resources through social work especially important.
Standardizing methods for identifying and supporting both inpatient and outpatient populations continues to be an ongoing process. Because discussing food insecurity can be difficult for patients, the center is developing approaches that minimize repeated questioning while still accurately assessing risk.
Freeman emphasized the broad reach of the Bowyer Oncology Center: “A high volume of our patients have federally funded insurance and often travel long distances to get here,” she said. “So even though UCLA might be located in an affluent area, much of the population is coming long distances from areas more impacted by food insecurity.”
Chambers described positive responses from local businesses: “People are like, ‘I can’t imagine that, because having a cancer diagnosis is already hard enough as it is, and to add food insecurity on top of it?’ So a lot of corporations are definitely willing to help.”
Although the Commission on Cancer accreditation process lasts one year, Freeman stated the intention is for these efforts to continue: “We’re calling this a pilot phase,” she said. “Why does it have to be just cancer services? It should be everybody in the hospital.”
UCLA Health Bowyer Oncology Center serves patients from throughout Southern California.
