Elevance Health and NACHC Launch Landmark Initiative to Integrate Food as Medicine into Primary Care
In a groundbreaking step toward redefining how healthcare is delivered in communities across the United States, Elevance Health and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) have announced a new partnership to integrate Food as Medicine (FAM) programming directly into primary care at Community Health Centers (CHCs).
This initiative represents a major milestone in the shift toward a whole health model of care, one that recognizes the powerful role of nutrition in preventing and managing chronic diseases. By embedding evidence-based food and nutrition support into everyday clinical interactions, the program aims to combat food insecurity, reduce the burden of diet-related illnesses, and improve overall patient outcomes—particularly among Medicaid beneficiaries and underserved populations.
A Whole Health Approach to Primary Care
For decades, healthcare leaders have known that nutrition plays a vital role in health. Yet, too often, food and diet-related factors are treated as peripheral issues rather than as central to medical care. Elevance Health and NACHC are changing that paradigm.
Building on Elevance Health’s regional Nourished Well program, the new collaboration will expand access to Food as Medicine services by training primary care teams within CHCs. These providers will be equipped to screen, counsel, and connect patients at risk for diet-related conditions to comprehensive, personalized nutrition supports.
Under this model, food and nutrition interventions—once considered optional add-ons—become integral components of primary care. Services will include:
- Medically tailored interventions such as specific meal plans or meal delivery programs.
- Lifestyle coaching provided by dietitians and health coaches.
- Referrals to community resources that address food insecurity and access barriers.
According to Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Chief Health Officer at Elevance Health, this integration signals a shift in how the health system treats nutrition:
Incorporating Food as Medicine directly into primary care enables us to treat nutrition not just as a social driver of health, but as a clinical lever for improving outcomes,” said Dr. Agrawal. “Together with NACHC, we’re making nutrition integral to the way care is delivered—and not just an add-on.
How the Program Works: A Three-Pillar Framework
The Elevance Health–NACHC partnership is guided by a comprehensive FAM Ecosystem Framework that rests on three interconnected pillars:
- Food Access & Security
- The program will harness both telehealth platforms and CHC referral networks to identify and connect patients with food resources.
- By addressing food insecurity directly within the clinical setting, providers can ensure that patients have consistent access to nutritious foods essential for disease prevention and management.
- Clinical Integration
- Nutrition protocols will be embedded into primary care workflows, ensuring providers can seamlessly integrate nutrition counseling and referrals into patient visits.
- This reduces the burden on care teams while ensuring food and nutrition support becomes a standard part of patient care, not a separate or optional service.
- Lifestyle Interventions
- Patients will gain access to culturally relevant, dietitian-led services tailored to their medical and social needs.
- Services will include cooking education, personalized dietary guidance, and ongoing coaching to support long-term behavior change.
By connecting these three pillars, the initiative creates a holistic model that links medical care, community resources, and nutrition supports into one seamless system of care.
Building on a Legacy of Community Health Innovation
For more than 60 years, Community Health Centers (CHCs) have been on the front lines of delivering comprehensive primary care to underserved communities. Beyond clinical care, CHCs have historically engaged in innovative approaches—such as running community gardens, hosting nutrition education programs, and building community kitchens—to address social determinants of health.
The partnership with Elevance Health represents a scaling opportunity to take these community-based innovations and integrate them into a nationally replicable model.
Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO of NACHC, emphasized the transformative potential of this collaboration:
For 60 years, CHCs have been innovating in delivering comprehensive primary care, including but not limited to nutrition services, community gardens, and community kitchens. Our collaboration with Elevance Health is an opportunity to assess, identify, and scale evidence-based nutrition-based care models to the communities that need them most. By integrating Food as Medicine into primary care, we’re better positioned to reduce food and nutrition insecurity and deliver chronic disease prevention and management to the nearly 34 million patients—one in ten Americans—who rely on health centers for care.
Philanthropic Support Through Elevance Health Foundation
In addition to clinical integration, the Elevance Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health, will provide targeted support to strengthen and sustain the initiative.
Through a six-month Food as Medicine grant, NACHC will:
- Assess existing regional FAM programs already operating within CHCs.
- Evaluate policy frameworks that could support long-term sustainability.
- Develop a scalable CHC FAM model that integrates community resources, clinical practices, and direct food delivery systems.
This philanthropic investment ensures that the initiative not only delivers immediate patient benefits but also lays the groundwork for long-term scalability and sustainability.
Expected Impact: Strengthening Care Connections and Outcomes
By weaving nutrition supports directly into primary care, the program promises to deliver multi-layered benefits for patients, providers, and the healthcare system as a whole.
- For Patients:
- Improved access to nutritious food and dietitian-led guidance.
- Better support for chronic disease prevention and management.
- Greater engagement in their own care through culturally relevant interventions.
- For Providers:
- Reduced administrative burdens through streamlined workflows.
- Enhanced ability to address food insecurity as part of medical care.
- Improved performance on quality metrics tied to preventive health and chronic disease management.
- For the Health System:
- Lower long-term costs associated with diet-related chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
- A stronger, whole health model of care that bridges medical and social needs.
