1/31/2024 –
This week, The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held the first ever Food is Medicine summit in Washington, DC. At the event, HHS released five Food is Medicine principles that will guide the Department’s work as it relates to educating the public, changing public policies, and integrating nutrition in the services it provides. NPPC supporters, The Rockefeller Foundation and Instacart, also made HHS partnership announcements. Seven NPPC members were featured in the Summit, including Dani Dudeck, Dr. Hilary Seligman, Dr. Dary Mozaffarian, Emily Broad Lieb, Michelle Shippy, Dr. Steven Chen, Ismail Samad, and Tom McDougal.
Before the HHS summit, NPPC members flew in from all over the country for a Congressional Day of Action consisting of 25 briefings with Members of Congress to educate about the power of PRx and FIM and to discuss NPPC’s proposals for further integrating the PRx model into standard clinical practice. The Day of Action was focused on advancing PRx utilization in Medicaid, the Indian Health Service, the Veterans Health Administration, and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive program at the United States Department of Agriculture. Leaders from both parties expressed excitement for the potential benefits of expanded PRx utilization in government-sponsored health plans.
The Day of Action was followed by a delicious networking dinner for the NPPC community. NPPC is grateful to HHS for showcasing PRx at this important event and to all our members who continue to advocate for PRx as an important healthcare tool.
