Boston nonprofit promotes food as medicine for insurers

Community Servings, a nonprofit in Boston, believes that "food is medicine" and aims to have this philosophy included in more health insurance plans. Founded 35 years ago, the organization began by providing meals to people with HIV/AIDS suffering from malnutrition. It has now expanded to assist individuals with various chronic illnesses, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Most of their clients live below the poverty line and often cannot cook or shop for themselves. Steve Honyotski, a 70-year-old Boston resident, has faced many medical challenges due to a car accident years ago. He struggles with diabetes and fatigue, making it hard for him to prepare meals. Community Servings delivers tailored meals that meet his dietary needs, which he finds incredibly helpful. The meals are specific to each client’s health conditions. For instance, the dietary requirements for someone undergoing chemotherapy differ from those for a person with diabetes. Community Servings works closely with healthcare providers to ensure their meals support the health of their clients effectively. Recently, Community Servings launched the AMPL Institute to promote the idea that food can be part of medical treatment. Their goal is to make these nutrition services a covered benefit under Medicare and Medicaid. Research has shown that meals from Community Servings can significantly reduce healthcare costs by preventing hospital visits and emergency care. The organization serves 7,000 clients across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, offering a variety of meals each week. Many clients, like Honyotski, have found their health improved by accessing consistent, nutritious food through the program. Honyotski has lost weight and feels better since he started receiving meals from Community Servings. Community Servings hopes to inspire more insurance companies to cover medically tailored meal programs nationwide, ensuring that anyone too sick to prepare healthy meals has access to nutritious food as part of their healthcare.