UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health unveils the Farm at Penny Lane Food Shuttle, made possible with $100,000 in funding from UnitedHealthcare.

Supporters and stakeholders met at the Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health Whitaker Mill clinic to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the Farm at Penny Lane Food Shuttle. This partnership with United Healthcare is focused on the importance of nutrition in managing chronic health conditions and improving health outcomes for underserved populations.
The food shuttle will increase access to nutritious foods for North Carolinians impacted by housing insecurity, homelessness and chronic health conditions in rural and urban counties (Chatham, Orange, Durham & Wake). Access to nutritious food and health are inextricably linked, with up to 80% of an individual’s health outcomes being impacted by things outside the doctor’s office. In North Carolina, roughly 10.9% of the population – about 1.2 million people – are experiencing food insecurity. Individuals with limited or no access to transportation or a place to prepare meals presents experience even more challenges.
Thava Mahadevan, Executive Director, XDS Inc. and Director of Operations, UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health, Jeff Lindsey, UNC Health President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Alice Ammerman, Director of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, UNC Gillings School of Public Health, Anita Bachmann, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina, Dr. John Gilmore, Vice Chair for research & scientific affairs, UNC Psychiatry and other community leaders attended the ceremony.