Partners in Healthcare Fuel Growth at God’s Love

In the past year, more than a third of all new clients enrolled in our programs have come through partnerships with healthcare providers. This represents a significant shift as these new partners fuel our organization’s growth. In response, our team has concentrated on
building strong relationships with new and established partners including NYU Langone, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Fidelis Care, MetroPlusHealth, UnitedHealthcare, Healthfirst, VillageCareMAX, Molina Healthcare, and others.

Working with healthcare providers offers a unique window into our clients’ experience and the effect of our medically tailored meal program on their well-being. Our clients are demonstrating improved health outcomes, a greater adherence to taking their medications as
prescribed, fewer emergency room visits, and a significant decrease in the number of in-patient hospitalizations.

We discussed these findings with our healthcare partners at a recent panel presentation to members of the national Food Is Medicine Coalition. The panel included Diane Nisbet, Whole Health & Equity Director, and Marianne Grady, Director II of Health Care Management, NY Medicaid, both from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Also joining the group was Mackenzie Murphy, Manager of Value Based Payment Initiatives at Fidelis Care, and Dr. Andrea Zaldivar, Director of Complex Care Management/Social Determinants of Health at MetroPlus Health. Together, we discussed the importance of incorporating medically tailored meals as part of a “plan of care” for members dealing with severe illness, including those being discharged from the hospital.

As we share these findings with a wider audience, it is worth noting that our advocacy efforts to date have yielded strong results. We have worked hard to educate policy leaders on the benefit of medically tailored home-delivered meals and medical nutrition therapy for individuals living with illness. Medically tailored meals were highlighted as one of the nutrition interventions included in the New York State Department of Health’s Medicaid 1115 Waiver demonstration project.

The Medicaid 1115 Waiver was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve access to primary and behavioral healthcare and to advance health equity across New York State. The focus is to address health-related social needs such as food insecurity, housing instability, family and social support needs, and other needs. The Department of Health and Human Services defines health-related social needs as social and economic factors that affect a person’s ability to maintain their health and well-being. We are excited that New York State has recognized that medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling and education are essential interventions for individuals living with a chronic or severe illness.

The Medicaid 1115 Waiver will provide us with the opportunity to collaborate with longtime partners via the State’s creation of Social Care Networks whose focus will be to ensure that individuals receive all of the services that support any health-related social needs that
they may have. We will continue to advocate for all those that need our services. Many diverse individuals and families face multiple challenges while managing serious illness. Healthcare partnerships and innovations like the Medicaid 1115 Waiver will support our efforts to reach all those who need our help. We look forward to sharing more updates on our progress in the months to come!