The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC), a national coalition of nonprofits focused on the intersection of nutrition and healthcare, announced a $400,000 investment from Elevance Health Foundation to launch a pilot program to expand access to medically tailored meals (MTMs) and nutrition services for hundreds of individuals in Colorado and California.
The Rapid Equitable Nutrition Outcomes for People with Diabetes initiative aims to improve clinical outcomes for food-insecure individuals with diabetes by delivering an estimated 30,000 meals to over 160 families over the next two years. Project Angel Heart will administer the program in Colorado, and Project Angel Food will oversee the program in California. Field-wide learnings will be disseminated through the national Food is Medicine Coalition.
“FIMC projects a 50% improvement in health outcomes for participants, including better management of diabetes through improved HbA1c levels and a reduction in ER visits,” said Alissa Wassung, Executive Director of FIMC. “This generous support from Elevance Health Foundation will catalyze clinical partnerships in these under-resourced areas providing a foundation for future sustainable programming. It is critical to create durable food is medicine models that benefit the clients we aim to serve. Through this pilot project, we aim to strengthen our understanding of best practices for the entire Coalition.”
Rapid Equitable Nutrition Outcomes for People with Diabetes emphasizes FIMC’s commitment to health equity and nutrition support for those living with severe, complex, and chronic illnesses, many of which are more prevalent in low-income households and among people of color. The program will assist with food insecurity and social support for all the families participating.
“Hunger and malnutrition act as barriers to medical care, causing people to cancel appointments and go without essential treatments and medications,” continued Wassung. “We know that without us, clients, who are food insecure and ill, would be at greater risk for malnutrition and worsened outcomes, and/or would experience expedited disease progression due to poor diet.”
This grant is part of Elevance Health Foundation’s commitment of $30 million over a three-year period toward programs that advance health equity and encourage food as medicine. To date, the Foundation has committed more than $30.5 million and has reached more than 555,000 individuals through food as medicine programs, providing more than 1.5 million meals.
“We believe that food is medicine, and when we eat nutritious foods, we can prevent diet-sensitive chronic diseases,” said Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Chief Health Officer at Elevance Health. “That’s why it’s important to support programs – like Food is Medicine Coalition – that are making access to high-quality food a priority and creating more access to nutritious food for food-insecure populations across the country.”