by guest columnist Matthew PieperExecutive Director of Open Hand Atlanta, Kevin WoodsPresident of the Atlanta Medical Association.

After moving to Atlanta in 2020, David, a prominent publicist and professor, found himself in financial crisis after the pandemic wreaked havoc on his career. Things spiraled into full-blown disaster when a rare disease left him temporarily blind. was diagnosed. Alone in his apartment without his social safety net, David turned to his Atlanta Open for meals to get him through the financial and medical crisis. Almost a year later, he is back in his classroom this fall, with his health greatly improved. Open Hand His Atlanta nutrient-dense diet has contributed greatly to his recovery and health today.

Kevin Woods is president of the Atlanta Medical Association.

When people become seriously ill, their nutritional status deteriorates first, making recovery and stabilization difficult, if not impossible. Open Hand Atlanta, one of his largest community-based providers of medically conditioned diet and nutrition services in the United States, recently found that a third of his clients would I reported not knowing where my next meal was coming from. Hand eating. David is certainly among them.

For the first time in over 50 years, the White House Conference on hunger, nutrition and health This is a historic opportunity to advance a “food is medicine” intervention aimed at bringing food to the forefront in addressing the health crisis plaguing the United States. The aim is to accelerate progress, end hunger and drive major changes to improve nutrition and bodies. Reduce activity, diet-related illnesses and close the gaps around them. The last time a conference of this kind was held, extensive legislation was enacted, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A program concept for women, infants and children (WIC). School breakfast and lunch programs. A national approach to developing dietary guidelines. and nutritional information table.

The mission is clear — to rethink our nation’s food system to end hunger, improve nutrition and reduce diet-related chronic diseases. You can shine a spotlight on communities facing chronic health conditions.

The solution is also clear.

• Common sense policies include making medically adjusted meals fully reimbursable benefits for people with severe chronic illnesses, as recommended by the national Food Is Medicine Coalition. To that end, we need to include the modernization of Medicare and Medicaid. In addition, adequate funding and implementation of large-scale medically-adjusted diet pilots in Medicare and Medicaid programs would have far-reaching benefits. Early and reliable access to a medically adjusted diet can help individuals lead healthy and productive lives, improve overall health and reduce healthcare costs. It is a solution proven to improve population and individual health, improve the care experience and reduce costs.

• Expanding research on medically modified diets has great potential. For example, Open Hand recently launched a study to see how a medically modified diet affects women with gestational diabetes and improves outcomes for mothers and their babies. Georgia has one of the highest infant mortality rates in America.

• Finally, identifying food insecurity and malnutrition in clinical settings is an urgent priority. Screening patients for food insecurity and connecting patients to food resources is strongly supported by official statements by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Diabetes Association, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and AARP.

Matthew Pieper is the executive director of Open Hand Atlanta.

We face new challenges in our food system that harm Americans and cost hundreds of billions of dollars in preventable health care each year. A person’s diet can affect life and death, contributing to higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. About 50% of adults in the United States have diabetes or prediabetes, and 75% are overweight or obese. Chronic and nutrition-sensitive diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS are prevalent in Georgia.

Many of the adverse health effects are rooted in lack of access to adequate nutrition, exacerbated by racial and socioeconomic inequalities. Access to a medically adjusted diet is very limited in Georgia. And it needs to change.

The United States is at a critical juncture in its fight against hunger, malnutrition, and diet-related illness. This will not only increase access to medically adjusted diets and create prescription programs, but also stronger nutrition education for clinicians and adequate coverage for counseling by registered dietitians. It’s an important moment in

I implore everyone attending this month’s White House meeting to be a catalyst for greater access to these life-saving interventions.

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