Better Living Through Well Being Presented by TMIS
Centene Corporation And Feeding America Partner To Launch 'Food For Today And Food For Tomorrow' Initiative St Louis, Missouri
Centene Corporation and Feeding America have announced the launch of the 'Food for Today and Food for Tomorrow' resource development initiative, a program that will equip network food banks and Centene health plans with best practice guidelines for meeting the needs of individuals experiencing food insecurity.
The initiative leverages the screen and intervene model that screens individuals for food insecurity and connects them with access to healthy food to improve nutrition and health outcomes. In the first phase, Centene and Feeding America will create guidelines for medically tailored food boxes and for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) application assistance in health care settings. The cross-sector partnership will enable impactful collaboration on food security initiatives within communities across the country.
"Centene is proud to partner with Feeding America to establish best practice guidelines for meeting the needs of residents identified as food insecure," said Marcela Manjarrez-Hawn, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Centene. "Food insecurity is one of the most critical social determinants of health, and has a direct impact on health outcomes. These efforts support our commitment to ensuring our communities and our members have access to nutritious, healthy food."
According to Feeding America's annual Map the Meal Gap study, hunger affects people in every community in the United States. An estimated 11.1 percent of all households have been food insecure at some point during a given year, and consequences of food insecurity are strongly associated with poor nutrition and negative health outcomes. The 'Food for Today and Food for Tomorrow' initiative will build on and expand existing food bank activities, leverage healthcare capabilities, and incorporate regional and state-level infrastructure to best meet the needs of patients identified as food insecure in health care settings.
"This partnership with Centene allows the network of food banks to partner meaningfully with the healthcare sector. SNAP participants have better health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. Therefore, it is critically important that we collaborate in implementing strategies to improve SNAP enrollment and offer other sources of food, such as medically tailored food boxes, within health care settings," said Dr. Hilary Seligman, senior medical advisor for Feeding America and associate professor in the department of medicine at University of California at San Francisco. "These partnerships and interventions are a key component of Feeding America's Health and Nutrition strategy."
Centene and Feeding America will pilot the completed guidelines in various communities across the country in 2020.
About Feeding America
Feeding America®is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal initiatives, we provide meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports initiatives that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org .
About Centene Corporation
Centene Corporation, a Fortune 100 company, is a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that provides a portfolio of services to government sponsored and commercial healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Many receive benefits provided under Medicaid, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD), Foster Care and Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), in addition to other state-sponsored programs, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly known as "Part D"), dual eligible programs and programs with the U.S. Department of Defense. Centene also provides healthcare services to groups and individuals delivered through commercial health plans. Centene operates local health plans and offers a range of health insurance solutions. It also contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral health management, care management software, correctional healthcare services, dental benefits management, commercial programs, home-based primary care services, life and health management, vision benefits management, pharmacy benefits management, specialty pharmacy and telehealth services.
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