The state of Oklahoma recently passed the Food is Medicine Act (OK SB806), landmark legislation that recognizes the role of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic disease. Anti-hunger and public health advocates hope the new law will lay the groundwork for integrating fresh, locally grown food into clinical care by supporting produce prescription programs and encouraging healthcare payers to reimburse for food-as-medicine interventions.
FreshRx Oklahoma, a Tulsa-based nonprofit food prescription program, is already showing how this model can work in practice. Founded and led by Erin Martin, the organization works to deliver measurable health outcomes through their produce prescription program. They strive to help individuals managing chronic conditions like diabetes reduce A1C numbers, preserve the ability to work and live fully, and keep families and communities thriving.
“If we say we care about equity,” Martin asks, “why would we give the communities with the worst outcomes the cheapest food?”
The program offers significant healthcare cost-savings, Martin says. “We’ve probably saved the state of Oklahoma over US$5 million,” she tells Food Tank, “while spending just a fifth of the typical cost to treat someone with chronic illness.” That’s important when the U.S. is experiencing what Martin calls a “financial crisis in healthcare.”
FreshRx creates trust by hiring from the community, including program graduates, and offering high-quality, locally grown food. In addition to receiving ingredients, participants are invited to take part in cooking demos and educational opportunities that are designed to be hands-on and culturally relevant. Martin explains that the participants are supported along their journey.
Engagement rates have jumped from 15 percent to over 85 percent, she tells Food Tank. People are showing up, cooking, sharing, and encouraging each other. “Food is our Trojan horse,” Martin tells Food Tank. “It brings people in. But what we’re really doing is healing.”
But systemic challenges remain. Funding can be inconsistent and insurers are sometimes hesitant to support the program, Martin explains. But that’s beginning to change as organizations like FreshRx Oklahoma prove that Food is Medicine initiatives yield tangible results.
With the passing of the new Food is Medicine Act, FreshRx Oklahoma is hopeful that more states will follow suit. “Having the legislative backing, having the hard conversations will eventually get [us] over that hill,” Martin tells Food Tank. From here, “we can get additional metrics [and] as that ramps up, we’re going to see more and more insurers adopt this.”
Listen to the full conversation with Erin Martin on “Food Talk with Dani Neirenberg” to hear more about the work of FreshRx Oklahoma, how to make the case for Food is Medicine to policymakers, and the benefits these programs offer to farmers.
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Photo courtesy of Negley Stockman, Unsplash
