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…
Posts published in “Food is Medicine”
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…
Ideally, Food is Medicine initiatives run by food banks would be funded by the government through Medicaid. But with states moving slowly to adopt the waivers that would make that possible, hospitals have become a major source of support for Food is Medicine efforts. “It’s been all about partnerships and…
It’s not an easy decision for a food bank to take the lead on a major research project. Such studies can be expensive, drawing resources away from the more immediate goal of distributing food. At D.C.-based Capital Area Food Bank, an investment in research is paying off in big ways,…
Feed More of Virginia recently disclosed the results of a Food is Medicine pilot that delivered significant improvements in health outcomes. The low-cost pilot resulted in an average decrease in blood sugar levels of nearly ten percent and notable improvements in blood pressure among participants, while also decreasing food insecurity…