Food is Medicine Impact Fund

A collaborative philanthropic initiative working to integrate proven food and nutrition interventions into the U.S. healthcare system as covered, reimbursable medical benefits.

Initiative Goal: Improving health outcomes for millions of Americans with chronic, diet-related conditions by expanding access and insurance coverage to effective Food is Medicine programs.

Background

Food Is Medicine (FIM) programs, including prescriptions, medically tailored groceries and medically tailored meals, are increasingly demonstrating their ability to improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs for people living with diet-related chronic conditions. Many promising programs struggle to move beyond pilots due to limited capacity, fragmented implementation, and low public and provider awareness.

Key Context:

• Chronic diet-related diseases (heart disease, stroke, diabetes) are the leading causes of death in the United States, especially in low-income communities
• Poor diets currently cost the United States $1.1 trillion annually in health care spending and lost productivity
• 17 US State Medicaid programs now cover FIM programs as a medical benefit

RFCC Role

RFCC hosts the Food is Medicine (FIM) Impact Fund and is providing staffing, operational and legal support in establishing the Fund.

Initial Projects

FIM State Officer Program: Managed by the Center for Health Care Strategies, this program will support up to ten U.S. states in hiring dedicated FIM leaders for three years who will help their respective states expand and strengthen FIM programs to better meet the health and nutrition needs of their residents. These dedicated leaders will support policy design, program implementation, and coordination across states.

Increase Awareness for FIM Programs Nationwide: One of the single largest barriers to FIM programs is that many Americans—from possible patients to prescribers—don't know about them. The fund will support efforts to broaden and deepen understanding across the country so that more Americans can benefit from FIM, improve their nutrition and address their chronic health conditions.

Contact Information

RF Catalytic Capital Inc.