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Published by rgraphics2000, 2018-11-02 14:19:48

18113127 Coxe Curry

Dear neighbors,
Our family, friends, and children deserve an equal opportunity to make choices that lead to healthy lives. However,
our health is determined in part by social conditions such as economic stability, education, health care, and community.
Unfortunately, these conditions are not created equal.
Food insecurity—a lack of consistent access to enough food to lead an active, healthy life—is a social determinant of health that a ects 42 million Americans. This complex challenge does not exist in isolation, and often comes with diet-related chronic disease such as diabetes, along with high medical utilization and costs that amount to an additional $77.5 billion in health care expenditures annually.
Our neighbors in Georgia know the di culties that come with food insecurity all too well. Today, one out of every six people in Georgia—and more than 20 percent of Georgia’s children—worries that food will run out before they can a ord to buy more.
At Grady Health System in Downtown Atlanta, the same is true for an estimated one out of every two patients it serves. This is why we have joined together in the Food as Medicine partnership, with the vision that all members of the
Grady community—and ultimately all communities across the nation—have access to healthy, a ordable food.
To this end, we are each bringing our assets, expertise, and resources to the table to collaboratively reduce the barriers to food security and improve health outcomes among patients, families, sta , and neighbors, by:
• Creating and implementing a comprehensive Food Prescription Program; • O ering a Food Pharmacy and Teaching Kitchen; and
• Launching a Community Café & Farmers Market on Grady’s campus.
Food as Medicine is the only collaborative of its kind in Georgia to address food insecurity and related chronic disease in such a comprehensive way. The stakes are high to create a model that is replicable throughout the United States so that we can begin to break the perpetual cycle of food insecurity and poor health once and for all.
Together, we can rede ne what a healthy community looks like so that all our neighbors, regardless of zip code or socioeconomic status, can make choices that lead to vibrant lives. Please join us on a $4.8 million endeavor to launch an innovative neighborhood space where healthcare, education, and community intersect.
Your neighbors,
Kyle Waide
President & CEO
Atlanta Community Food Bank
John Haupert
CEO
Grady Health System
Matthew Pieper Executive Director Open Hand Atlanta
Denise Blake
Executive Director Wholesome Wave Georgia


A Systemic Approach to Food Access
Each organization in the Food as Medicine partnership is uniquely positioned to address a fundamental element of the cycle between food insecurity and chronic disease. Together, these partners will create a new ecosystem that provides equal opportunity for all members of our community to make choices that lead to healthy lives.
Atlanta Community Food Bank
The Atlanta Community Food Bank ghts hunger by engaging, educating, and empowering the community. The Food Bank procures and distributes nearly 70 million pounds of food and grocery products each year to more than 600 nonpro t partner agencies with food assistance programs across 29 Metro Atlanta and North Georgia counties.
The Food Bank will meet immediate food access needs by supplying more than one million pounds of food to the Food Pharmacy during the rst three years of the program, along with a Bene ts Outreach Team to operate on Grady’s campus to connect patients with existing community resources.
Grady Health System
Grady Health System, one of the largest public academic health systems in the United States, is the premier Level I trauma center in Metro Atlanta, primarily serving residents of Fulton and DeKalb counties. Food insecurity is prevalent among Grady Health System’s 150,000 patients, and three of the seven priority areas identi ed in Grady’s 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment are chronic diseases associated with food insecurity: diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.
Grady will provide the health care sta ng and infrastructure in which the Food as Medicine program will operate, giving patients with diet-related chronic disease the tools they need to manage and improve their health from the moment of intake. The goal is that these tools will ultimately shift the need from emergency to preventive services, thereby decreasing hospital utilization and costs.
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infrastructure access


Open Hand Atlanta
For more than 30 years, Open Hand has helped thousands of Metro Atlanta residents prevent or better manage chronic disease through tailored nutrition interventions, including a wide variety of health-promoting meal plans as well as nutrition counseling and coaching delivered by an experienced team of Registered Dietitians. In addition, Open Hand’s successful social enterprise, Good Measure MealsTM, has provided a sustained revenue stream and allowed the organization to expand its services across the full socioeconomic spectrum.
Open Hand/Good Measure MealsTM will deliver sustainable food access by providing convenient, ready-to-eat healthy meals and operational management for the Community Café & Farmers Market, open to the entire community on
a sliding-scale pricing model. Their team of Registered Dietitians will facilitate evidence-based nutrition and cooking classes in the Teaching Kitchen, develop recipes, and perform food demonstrations using produce from the onsite Farmers Market.
Wholesome Wave Georgia
Wholesome Wave Georgia strengthens local food communities by empowering networks of farmers to facilitate access to and awareness of healthy food choices. Wholesome Wave launched a state-wide program to double the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) bene ts at Georgia’s farmers markets as well as the rst Fruit and Vegetable Prescription (FVRx) Program in the Southeast, which it has operated on a pilot basis at Grady among other locations.
Wholesome Wave Georgia will expand its Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program for the Food as Medicine partnership as well as extend its Georgia Fresh for Less (SNAP doubling) program to the Community Café & Farmers Market. These programs will empower patients to take control of their chronic disease and make behavioral changes that lead to a healthy future by embedding both
the need for and the access to healthy food choices within the healthcare system.
3
sustainability empowerment


The Heartbeat of a Vibrant Community
Grady Health System recently ended its relationship with a fast-food restaurant, which freed up space adjacent to the hospital with frontage that overlooks the hospital’s main entrance. Choosing to forego the nancial return provided by leasing the property, Grady is eager to make this investment in its patients, employees, and guests.
The strategic location of this property is at the epicenter
of the Grady community, and reimagining its function will create a powerful new buzz for healthy living that will resonate throughout the campus and Downtown Atlanta.
The Food Pharmacy and Teaching Kitchen
will be open to Grady patients who receive
food prescriptions. The Food Pharmacy’s clinical aesthetic will provide a feeling of continuity of care for patients, reinforcing food’s critical role in their healthcare plan. Patients will be able to select their food and have it delivered to them by Pharmacy sta or volunteers.
While waiting for their food prescription to be lled, patients can observe classes and live demonstrations in the Teaching Kitchen, which will occupy the heart of the space and be visible for both patients of the Food Pharmacy and patrons of the Café.
The Community Café & Farmers Market will serve patients as well as the wider Grady community. Designed to be light and airy, there will be a focus on using locally sourced materials and maximizing the function of the space for guest experience. Seating will be community style to encourage fellowship amongst patrons.
In addition, interpretive signage will be embedded throughout the Café to share stories about where the food is sourced from, communicate healthy eating tips, and suggest new recipe ideas.
Rede ning Healthcare
4


Food as Medicine Facility
Patient Navigator
Bene ts
Pantry &
Food Pharmacy
Breakout & Prep
Microwave, Utensils, Condiments, etc.
Cashier
Café & Classroom
Walk-In Refrigerator
FIFC
Teaching Kitchen
Shared Corridor
Copy & Storage
Men
Women
Pantry Kitchen Manager Manager
IT
Legend
Café O ce Mechanical Pantry & Food Pharmacy Teaching Kitchen Circulation Shared Space Walk-In Refrigerator
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Feeding Bodies & Minds
Every year, Grady Health System cares for more than 75,000 patients who face the challenges of food insecurity, along with 20,000 patients with diabetes—63 percent of whom are food insecure.
As the population in Fulton and DeKalb counties will grow by nearly 30 percent
by 2040, the need for a program that addresses both food insecurity and chronic conditions like diabetes among Grady patients will become increasingly imperative —for the health of our communities and the sustainability of our healthcare system.
63% 50%
16%
13%
Percentage of Population that is Food Insecure
The Food as Medicine initiative will create a food prescription program that improves access to nutritious foods and educates patients on the role food plays in maintaining health and preventing disease.
Built on the proven success of Wholesome Wave Georgia’s Fruit and Vegetable Prescription (FVRx) Program, food prescriptions will be issued by Grady clinicians to patients who struggle with both food insecurity and diet-related chronic illness—speci cally type 2 diabetes.
Patients with prescriptions will have access to the Food Pharmacy, with visit frequency and duration varying depending on the patient’s needs. These recurring prescriptions will provide a reliable source of healthy food for patients and their families and a consistent touch point with patients to encourage preventive health measures.
At the Food Pharmacy, patients will select enough fresh vegetables, fruits, healthy grains, and proteins to supplement their household’s diet, to ensure that all members of the family—especially children—are receiving enough nourishment. This fresh food will be provided by the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Patients who receive food prescriptions will also be enrolled in evidence-based nutrition and cooking classes in the Teaching Kitchen. These classes, led by Grady’s Clinical Nutrition team and Open Hand’s Registered Dietitians, will equip patients with the knowledge and skills they need to manage or prevent chronic conditions by teaching them how to make healthy diet changes, shop for healthy foods on a budget, and prepare nutritionally appropriate meals.
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Nationwide
Georgia
Grady Patients
Grady Patients with Diabetes


In its rst three years,
Food as Medicine will reach at least 8,000 patients and 16,000 household members through the Food Prescription Program.
Program Impact
Within the rst three years of operation, Grady anticipates more than 50,000 visits to the Food Pharmacy and nearly one million pounds of food to be prescribed and distributed, reaching at least 8,000 patients and 16,000 household members through the Food Prescription Program.
Students at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health will be overseeing
a program evaluation that measures changes in patient behavior, hospital utilization rates, and health outcomes demonstrated by body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and A1C—an indicator of blood sugar levels.
According to recent ndings by Geisinger Health System, a one point drop in A1C for each program participant over the next three years could yield an estimated $64 million in healthcare savings.
To help manage and overcome barriers to participation,
case management services will include patient intake, class scheduling, reminder calls, and tracking of program adherence. Patients may also receive transportation support in the form of round-trip MARTA passes and parking validations for Grady’s parking deck as needed.
“I did not realize how little we were eating fresh fruits and veggies. We always bypassed most of them at the grocery store because they were more expensive than the canned ones. Since the start of the FVRx program, we have had at least four servings a day
with the variety of items we have gotten
with our prescription.”
FVRx Participant
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Nourishing a Community
As parking is limited and often costly near the hospital, healthy meals that are convenient and a ordable are a much-needed addition within walking distance to the fast-food options that abound in the surrounding area. The Community Café & Farmers Market will provide access to healthy foods for all community members.
Situated in the heart of Grady’s campus and Downtown Atlanta, this will be a lively convening space for patients, doctors, students, neighbors, and executives alike—serving as the heartbeat for an energized, healthier community.
The Community Café & Farmers Market will o er two distinct services: A Café providing fresh, ready-to-eat healthy meals, and a Farmers Market o ering a variety of locally sourced produce.
Operated by Open Hand, the Community Café & Farmers Market will o er nutritious, ready-to-eat meals with a sliding-scale pricing model to ensure that patrons can access the food they need at
a price they can a ord. All meal menus are developed by Open Hand’s registered dietitians, assuring they are nutritionally balanced. Of note, the Farmers Market will be a SNAP eligible site, which means that customers can pay with cash, credit, debit, or an Electronic Bene t Transfer (EBT) card. This will provide game-changing food access to nearly half of Grady’s patient population who quali es for SNAP bene ts.
In addition, the partnership is working to integrate the Farmers Market with the Georgia Fresh for Less program, an incentive program o ered through Wholesome Wave Georgia that allows for the doubling of SNAP dollars for local, fresh produce. This means that for every $10 spent on a customer’s EBT card, they will get $20 worth of produce.
A Sustainable Model
“The Food as Medicine partnership
is a brilliant alignment of community
resources and expertise to solve for
the complex challenges that come
with food insecurity. This is the kind
of innovative thinking we need to
ensure our children grow up in
vibrant, healthy communities.”
Bill Bolling | Founder, Atlanta Community Food Bank and Board Chair, Food Well Alliance
The Café will also function as a pick-up location for Good Measure MealsTM,
a subscription-based meal plan delivery service that is the social enterprise of Open Hand. This service will be o ered to Grady’s 6,600 employees as well as members of the wider Grady community.
By selling meals and produce along with o ering an access point to balanced meal plans, Good Measure MealsTM will be able to subsidize meals for those in greatest need and cover the operating costs for the Café and Farmers Market.
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