For all the talk about how important food is to health, it can be surprisingly difficult to get healthcare providers to refer patients to sources of healthy food. Island Harvest Food Bank has found a way around that issue by embedding its own dieticians in area hospitals and clinics. The…
Posts published in “Food is Medicine”
The state of Massachusetts recently reached a milestone in its Food is Medicine journey. At the beginning of this year, 43 community-based organizations in the state, including many food banks, became Medicaid healthcare providers. “They have become just like your doctor,” said Stephanie Buckler, Deputy Director of Social Services Integration…
The timing could not have been better to demonstrate that major Food is Medicine interventions can improve patient health, while lowering costs. Three research studies released in as many months all point to a variety of positive outcomes related to Food is Medicine initiatives. The studies out of North Carolina,…
WASHINGTON D.C. – If you’re thinking about ways to get into Food is Medicine, you might consider reaching out to your state’s primary care association as a first step. Every state and territory in the country has an association of primary care providers, according to Patricia Quinn, Vice President of…
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts has a few things going for it when it comes to Food is Medicine. First, it has long championed building relationships with area hospitals, giving it valuable exposure to the healthcare world. Second, it operates in a state that is actively pursuing solutions and…
Seven years ago, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, published what it called a “groundbreaking” report on food bank nutrition policies. It found that food banks with formal nutrition policies distributed more fresh fruits and vegetables than those without, while also distributing much less unhealthy food. (See our article on…
INDIANAPOLIS, IN. – One of the best things a food bank can do to get started in Food is Medicine is to lobby their state food-bank leadership to get involved. That’s because the managed care organizations seeking to use nutritious food to improve public health generally operate statewide and even…
For a food bank or pantry, getting into Food is Medicine often raises more questions than answers. Should an organization embrace produce prescriptions, healthy food boxes, or medically tailored meals, to name a few options? What is the best way to work with the managed care organizations that pay for…
When Beacon of Hope of Marshall, N.C., first got into Food is Medicine, it started small, providing food to a handful of clients on a weekly basis. Now it is serving nearly 100 clients, and sees the possibility of serving thousands. The organization’s journey into Food is Medicine paints a…