6 - SDoH & A Mission To End Hunger Together with Alexandra De Kesel Lofthus

Food as medicine isn’t a new concept, but offering nutritious meal plans to patients like a prescription is. In this episode, learn about the FoodRx program and what Second Harvest Heartland is doing to address SDoH from their Director of Health Care Partnerships, Alexandra De Kesel Lofthus. In this episode we discuss:

• The concept of food deserts and the health ramifications of living in one
• How food scarcity affects individuals and the way they receive care within the healthcare system
• The impact of the FoodRx program and success stories

To connect with Alexandra:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandradekesellofthus/

Alexandra De Kesel Lofthus joined Second Harvest Heartland in 2016, bringing over 15 years of health care and leadership experience to lead the Health Care team. Passionate about developing innovative programs intersecting hunger and health, Alexandra leads work on the nationally recognized FOODRx program. FOODRx is a research-based program with a goal to improve health outcomes for low-income patients with dietary risk factors and to identify food insecure individuals through health care channels. Major accomplishments of the FOODRx project to date include the establishment of clinically based interventions for patients with food insecurity and/or diet related chronic disease and the development of value-based payment models that allows for ROI opportunities.

Prior to joining Second Harvest Heartland she served in several roles throughout the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match organization including membership coordinator, case manager, patient advocate and operations manager.  She was recognized as a leader in new service development and delivery, multi-department project management, relationship building, staff development and mentoring.  

Alexandra earned a B.S. in Environmental and Resources Sciences from the University of California, Davis and a Master in Nonprofit Management from Hamline University.    She contributes to several organizations such as SUPERATEC and the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST.  She is committed to helping people understand their value by mentoring and coaching and supporting their personal and professional development. 

Alexandra loves the outdoors and hanging out with her husband, dog and friends.  Some of her favorite activities are training for triathlons, hiking and traveling.