NORTH CAROLINA
Food is Medicine Snapshot
North Carolina is a hub for Food is Medicine programs that feature community-based partners—interventions that are addressing diet-related health conditions, impacting food insecurity, and supporting communities, and those living within them, across the state.
Hear what some of these community-based organizations say about their work.
How it works
Health care providers assess patients for diet-related health conditions and/or food insecurity. Providers then prescribe a food-based intervention ranging from produce and other fresh foods to medically tailored meals which local, community-based organizations supply.
Why Community Partners
Interventions featuring community-based partners deliver on the same core benefits of any Food is Medicine program, including reducing household food insecurity, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, and addressing diet-related health conditions. And they can also deliver on much more, including:
Tailoring approaches to fit communities’ needs and capacity
Developing programs that center participants
Uplifting and building communities
Providing a range of wrap-around services*
Supporting local farmers and growers
Stimulating local economies
* This can include anything from nutrition education to social services to programs run by other community-based organizations.
Community-Based Programs in Action
Across North Carolina, community-based organizations are collaborating with health care providers to develop, implement, and evaluate Food is Medicine programs in a variety of settings. This snapshot offers a small representation of the work being done by community-based organizations throughout North Carolina to transform the health of its people and communities – leveraging strong local connections and long history of addressing drivers of health.
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Each of these organizations is uniquely supporting the communities in which they work, and the people with whom they serve.
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
Through Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s Farm Fresh Produce Prescription program, health care providers write a prescription for fresh produce for patients identified as food insecure and/or are at risk of diet related disease. Participants can obtain produce at local farmer’s markets or food boxes that are available for pickup or delivery. .
Green Rural Redevelopment Organization
Green Rural Redevelopment Organization operates a food prescription program in which the organization connects patients of local health care providers to produce and other food items. They also provide nutrition and lifestyle support and connection to wrap-around services including for the Haliwa-Saponi tribal region.
Conetoe Family Life Center
Through their program, which is centered on a partnership with a local university health system, Conetoe Family Life Center supplies participants with customized food boxes from their farm – available for pick up or delivery – with wraparound health and wellness information.
Highland Neighborhood Association
Through Highland Neighborhood Association’s Food is Medicine program, local health providers prescribe food certificates to patients which can be redeemed for healthy prepared meals by the organization’s community-based food operation RAMS (Really Amazing Meals with Soul) Kitchen.
Feast Down East
Feast Down East works in partnership with medical providers from the local health system to fulfill food prescriptions for individuals identified as food insecure with fresh food grown by (often small) local, traditionally disadvantaged farmers seeking new outlets for their products. Food is distributed via mobile farmer’s markets.
Hunger and Health Coalition
Hunger and Health Coalition partners with all health providers in the county who screen and refer patients for nutrition education for the whole family, fresh food, medically tailored food boxes, and delivery services for individuals with transportation challenges.
Nourish Up
Partnerships with health care providers connect Nourish Up’s services to individuals who receive nutritionally balanced and healthy non-perishable and perishable items made available for pick up at mobile food pharmacies or through no-cost home delivery.
Reinvestment Partners
Eat Well is Reinvestment Partners’ produce prescription program which provides participants with a pre-paid debit card each month to purchase fruits and vegetables when and where they want across the entire state. The program – which partners with payers, health systems, care management companies, and community clinics – is largest of its kind in the country.
TRACTOR Food & Farms
TRACTOR Food & Farms‘ Clinical Referral Program procures and delivers locally sourced food to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity or diet-related illnesses. Individuals are referred by local health care providers, and offers CSA-style shares which are available for pick-up or delivery.
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About
Nourishing Communities: North Carolina Food is Medicine Snapshot was developed by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation which is supporting the organizations featured through grant funding and technical assistance to help strengthen programs that have community-based organizations as key partners. These organizations, and their Food is Medicine programming, are also supported by a variety of additional funding, both private and public.