Garnet Health Attends 2026 New York State Food Summit
June 27, 2026Categories: Press Releases, News & Media
MIDDLETOWN, NY (June 22, 2026) — On June 16, Garnet Health’s Nursing Congress Interdisciplinary Community & Patient Experience Committee traveled to Albany to attend the 2026 New York State Food Summit, which brought together anti-hunger advocates, service providers, policymakers and community leaders to discuss food security and system resilience in New York.
Featured speakers at the event included Commissioner Richard Ball from the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets and anti-hunger advocates Mark Winnie and Joel Berg.
Representing Garnet Health was Christopher Costello, RN, MSN, COHN-S, Nursing Service Administrator for Medical-Surgical and Dialysis Services. He participated in a panel discussion entitled Food as Medicine Connection. During the session, Costello highlighted the work of Garnet Health’s Food Farmacy program and its impact on patients, and he shared plans to expand engagement and distribution of the medically tailored food bags throughout the community.
“It was an honor to share how Garnet Health helps connect patients with nutritious foods that support our community,” said Costello. “Attending the Food Summit allowed us to not only share our successes but also learn from other organizations, build new relationships and explore ways to expand access to nutritious foods for the communities we serve.”
In addition to the panel presentation, Garnet Health staff attended breakout sessions on advancing food access in New York State, strengthening relationships between primary care providers and farms, and scaling Food as Medicine through collaboration. The team gained valuable insights and connections to support Garnet Health’s ongoing efforts to address food insecurity.
Garnet Health’s Food Farmacy program provides a three-day supply of free food to inpatients upon discharge who have screened for food insecurity. The food is customized to their dietary needs. With nutritious food, patients in need don’t have to worry about finding their next meal—so they can focus on recovering after their hospital stay.
To learn more about Garnet Health, visit garnethealth.org.
About Garnet Health
Garnet Health is a New York State not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Middletown, New York, approximately 60 miles northwest of New York City. It is the corporate parent of Garnet Health Medical Center, Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills, Garnet Health Doctors, Garnet Health Urgent Care, Garnet Health Foundation and Garnet Health Foundation – Catskills. Providing healthcare to over 500,000 residents in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties, Garnet Health is dedicated to developing specialty services, medical programs and needed healthcare services that allow residents to remain close to home to receive quality care. Garnet Health employs more than 4,000 professionals and over 850 medical staff members. To learn more about Garnet Health, visit garnethealth.org.
