Directly linking nutrition to improved health outcomes

While health and wellness are often siloed into distinct categories, the transformative concept of “food-is-medicine” offers a holistic approach that directly links nutrition to improved health outcomes. In this episode of Under the Same Sky, Abner was joined by leaders from Umoja Health to shed light on how this innovative movement is gaining momentum and reshaping healthcare systems to address clinical and social needs. Michael Gonzales, senior vice president of growth and government programs, and Crystal Ayoob, vice president of healthcare innovation and community partnerships, provided insight into Umoja Health’s mission, which is to bridge nonprofit and for-profit sectors to deliver scalable, sustainable solutions for healthcare and nutrition.

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Umoja Health is at the forefront of the food-is-medicine revolution, striving to unify healthcare systems with food supply chains to combat chronic health issues and social inequities. The core idea of food-is-medicine is to start treating food as a vital component of healthcare rather than merely a peripheral social need. Michael emphasized how healthcare systems have historically overlooked the direct relationship between nutrition and health outcomes. Programs like medically tailored groceries and meals aim to change that narrative by providing nutritious food as part of health interventions. Crystal reinforced this point, highlighting that food insecurity worsens chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

Addressing these issues requires partnerships across sectors to deliver innovative solutions that meet both medical and social needs, and fortunately there is an evolving landscape with significant policy shifts happening at both state and federal levels. Michael noted that the US is still in the early stages of implementing these programs, but there is growing interest and investment. Federal initiatives, such as CMS guidance and the Department of Health and Human Services’ inaugural Food-is-Medicine summit, signal a national commitment to integrating food into healthcare systems. At the state level, California and New York are leading the charge. California’s Medi-Cal managed care plans have launched thousands of provider contracts to deliver food-is-medicine services. Meanwhile, New York is set to implement its Medicaid transformation starting in January 2025, which will prioritize partnerships with local community-based organizations (CBOs).

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Innovative solutions and driven partnerships

Crystal pointed out a critical challenge, which is that smaller CBOs often struggle to compete with larger for-profit organizations for contracts. This could potentially exclude the CBOs that are essential for delivering services at the local level. Umoja Health is uniquely positioned to address these challenges by leveraging its scale and logistics expertise. Umoja’s ability to purchase and distribute food at scale enables them to lower costs for smaller CBOs. For example, they work with programs like Meals on Wheels to provide affordable food options, helping these organizations stretch their budgets amidst rising costs and budget cuts. Early results have shown significant savings for CBOs, with some larger organizations saving up to $100,000 annually.  

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Michael and Crystal emphasized that this is only possible with a collaborative approach, which brings together the strengths of for-profit efficiency with the grassroots knowledge of nonprofits. Finding trust and mutual respect in these partnerships is essential to addressing complex health and social challenges and allows them to maximize their impact. Umoja Health’s innovative approach serves as a model for how collaboration and trust can drive meaningful change. By fostering partnerships and breaking down silos, food-is-medicine has the potential to address chronic health conditions, reduce costs, and improve the quality of lives.

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Scaling local impact

In 2025 and beyond, the challenge will be to scale these solutions while maintaining their integrity and community focus. Umoja Health plans to expand partnerships and launch new programs to further integrate food-is-medicine into healthcare. Their innovative statewide community hub model in California aims to drive down food costs for CBOs and scale Medi-Cal services efficiently. As more states and organizations join the movement, the hope is that food-is-medicine will become a standard component of healthcare, transforming lives and communities in the process.