Re: Colorado ranks 46th in nation for getting food stamps to the needy, Jan. 29 news story.
Food is medicine. Without adequate nutrition, children and adults experience nutrient deficiencies, poorer health outcomes, poorer cognitive performance and higher health care costs. Adverse educational and health outcomes directly impact costs to the federal government and our nation s future productivity.
With the release of the report from Hunger Free Colorado, the state now has an opportunity to improve health and educational outcomes by ensuring that residents who qualify for nutritional assistance, such as food stamps, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, receive timely assistance.
Hunger is a health issue. One in seven Colorado households does not have sufficient access to the food needed to be healthy. Policy solutions that connect more Coloradans to food-stamp benefits will reduce the adverse health and educational outcomes associated with food insecurity.
If Colorado wants to be the healthiest state, we can t overlook the importance of providing adequate access to food and nutrition that fuel minds and bodies.
Sandra Hoyt Stenmark, M.D., Denver
This letter was published in the Feb. 20 edition.
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