Food as Medicine

The Food as Medicine Program (FAM), in partnership with Corbin Hill Food Project, enrolls patients from three Bronx-based Institute for Family Health health centers to measure the health impact of food and nutrition security through a produce prescription model. The FAM program is supported by the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the USDA.

The program is open to Institute patients over 18 years of age who screen positive for food insecurity and are either Medicaid recipients, dual Medicaid/Medicare recipients, have no health insurance or have private insurance. Once enrolled, participants receive a box of high quality, fresh local fruits and vegetables on a bi-weekly basis for a minimum of six months. The cost to patients is only $2.50. The participants can pay using SNAP, cash, debit, or credit card.

The FAM Program also provides participants with recipes at each distribution to encourage the eating of fruits and vegetables. These recipes include creative and helpful ways to use the produce in that week’s distribution. Food demonstrations allow participants to see how the fruits and vegetables in the weekly boxes can be prepared using creative and delicious recipes by the chef.

An evaluation has been done to assess participants overall opinions and feedback of the program to determine the efficacy of this intervention and the impact it has had on participants.