Policy Thought Leadership

God’s Love We Deliver continues to be a thought leader in the field of food and nutrition and the social determinants of health. Our staff have been invited to present at several conferences in the past few months. Along with our fellow Food Is Medicine Coalition colleagues, Alissa Wassung, Director of Policy & Planning, was invited to present our medically tailored meal model at the National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging, run by the federal Administration on Community Living. In October, Alissa headed to California for the Root Cause Coalition’s 4th Annual Summit on the Social Determinants of Health. Alissa sat on a panel titled Addressing the Nutrition Needs of Vulnerable Populations, which identified strategies to expand access to nutrition services for vulnerable populations. Alissa highlighted our work for the LGBTQ+ community, children with pediatric cancer and their families, and senior caregivers.

Also, in October, Karen Pearl, President & CEO, was an invited speaker at the 50th Anniversary of the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health at Tufts University in Boston. Karen joined a panel of thought leaders in the health and nutrition field: Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean of the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University; Dr. Howard Koh, Professor of Public Health at Harvard University and former Assistant Secretary for Health under President Barack Obama; Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services; and Dr. Darshak Sanghavi, Chief Medical Officer of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare & Retirement. On a panel filled with major healthcare leaders, Karen was a strong advocate for the services God’s Love provides stating, “We will never reach our healthcare goals of improving outcomes and lowering costs without fully integrating the medically tailored meal intervention into healthcare.”

Our Registered Dietitian Nutritionists shined at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Philadelphia. Our Director of Nutrition Services, Lisa Zullig, MS, RDN, CSG, CDN and Juhy Ali, MS, RDN, CDN showcased our nutrition training program for medical residents in partnership with SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

God’s Love staff presented at the NY Medicaid Population Health Symposium, the NYC Ryan White 2019 Power of QI Conference, the New York Health Plan Association Conference, and the Ending the Epidemic Summit in Albany. We are so thankful that New York State, as well as the entire country, is placing significant value on the social determinants of health and is recognizing the importance of including medically tailored meals within the care continuum. We are utilizing these platforms to advocate for access to services for those who are sick and vulnerable in New York City and across the country.