LCMC offers free lunches to children visiting the hospital
LCMC is the fifth Presbyterian facility to offer the program that began in February 2016
- Meals offered to children one year to 18
Beginning Sunday, Oct. 15, children visiting the Lincoln County Medical Center will have access to free, healthy meals, because of an innovative partnership between Presbyterian Healthcare Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service Southwest Region and the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.
Staff at LCMC will offer the free meals to all children ages one to 18, who are visiting the county hospital in Ruidoso, regardless of income, between 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., seven days a week.
LCMC will be the fifth Presbyterian facility to offer the program, which began in February 2016 when Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis, Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque and Socorro General Hospital became the first hospitals in New Mexico to offer free meals for children. The program expanded to Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital in Albuquerque in fall 2016.
“At the Lincoln County Medical Center, we are committed to improving the health of our entire community," Todd Oberheu, LCMC administrator, said. "We know that children are healthier and perform better in school when they have nutritious food to eat, and so we are thrilled to offer this free meal program for any child visiting our hospital."
The USDA operates the federally-funded, state-administered Child and Adult Care Food Program during the school year and the Summer Food Service Program in the summer to serve healthy meals to kids and teenagers in low-income areas at no charge. As part of the program, hospitals provide select healthy options and receive reimbursement from the USDA. Food must be eaten at the hospitals.
As of Oct. 1, the program had provided nearly 15,700 meals at the current four Presbyterian hospitals.
In New Mexico, one in six residents struggle with hunger and the state is tied with Arkansas for the second-highest rate of food insecurity among children, according to Feeding America. Presbyterian focuses on improving access to healthy food through support of cooking classes, farmer’s market incentive programs, a mobile farmer’s market and community gardens. Check out www.phs.org for more information.
The Lincoln County Medical Center is a county-owned facility that has been leased and operated by Presbyterian Healthcare Services since 1972. The partnership is dedicated to improving the health of individuals, families and communities in Ruidoso and Lincoln County. Lincoln County Medical Center and Presbyterian Healthcare Services operate a hospital, a primary care and specialty clinic, three rural clinics and a countywide ambulance service in Lincoln County.