What You Ought to Know:
- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and The Rockefeller Foundation are teaming as much as develop Food is Medicine packages, from medically tailor-made meals to provide prescription packages, at key VA well being care services throughout the nation.
- VA and The Rockefeller Basis will assist two Produce Prescription pilot initiatives and related analysis pilot packages at VA well being care methods in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah and Houston, Texas, with the objective of enhancing the standard of life for Veterans residing with or at-risk of diet-related well being situations.
- The Produce Prescription program pilots will present eligible Veterans the chance to enroll within the Fresh Connect program to obtain $100 per thirty days for recent produce and obtain diet schooling and ongoing teaching from VA registered dietitian nutritionists.
Enhance Wholesome Meals Entry, Well being Outcomes for Veterans
VA is the most important built-in well being care system in america offering care at greater than 1,200 well being care services to over 9 million Veterans. Sadly, about 27% of Afghanistan and Iraq warfare Veterans expertise meals insecurity — a fee greater than double that of the overall U.S. inhabitants. Research have discovered that Veterans, significantly these with meals insecurity, are additionally at larger danger for diet-related illnesses. One study reported 86% had been chubby or overweight at their first go to to a Veterans Well being Administration (VHA) clinician, whereas another confirmed the prevalence of diabetes is at the very least 5% increased amongst U.S. Veterans than the overall inhabitants. Increasing Meals is Medication packages at VA will tackle the impression of diet-related illness and meals insecurity amongst Veterans, whereas evaluating their impression for constructing the case to embed these packages into a totally built-in well being care supply system.
Increasing Meals is Medication Packages with Grants
The partnership will concentrate on increasing the implementation and analysis of Meals is Medication packages all through VA’s well being care system, and assist from The Rockefeller Basis will present grants to organizations comparable to About Fresh, a Boston-based non-profit, that can assist enroll Veterans in produce prescription pilot packages at VHA services in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah and Houston, Texas. Designed in collaboration with VA clinicians, employees and the VA’s Workplace of Meals Safety, these initiatives will construct upon the groundbreaking work led by Reinvestment Partners to extend Veteran enrollment of their EatWell program with the VA facility in Durham, North Carolina.
Researchers on the College of Utah will consider the initiatives’ impacts on well being, well being care prices and utilization and participant satisfaction. Classes and information garnered by these pilot initiatives will assist to tell the event of extra impactful insurance policies and program design to scale the attain of Meals is Medication as a profit for Veterans throughout the VA well being care system.
