Hôpital Solidaire Comes to Verdun: Changing Lives, One Meal at a Time

Eating. Seems simple enough, yet it is not for everyone. Our diets have a substantial impact on our overall health. Yet, for hundreds of people who receive services at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, eating well and enough is a challenge, for a variety of reasons. Enter Hôpital Solidaire, an innovative project launched by the CIUSSS Food Services. Thanks to funding from Fondation Santé Urbaine and the McConnell Foundation, the program was launched at the Notre-Dame Hospital and is now also offered at the Verdun Hospital. The program provides CIUSSS patients and service users who are in vulnerable situations with free cafeteria meals. Eligible individuals are referred by both physical and mental health-care staff or social intervention professionals when they deem these meals would benefit the individuals receiving care.