By guest columnists Matthew Piperexecutive director of Open Hand Atlanta and KEVIN BOISpresident of the Atlanta Medical Association.

After moving to Atlanta in 2020, David, a successful publicist and teacher, found himself in financial crisis after the pandemic took a toll on his career. Things escalated into a full-fledged disaster when a rare disease left him temporarily blind. He was diagnosed with ocular rosacea, an inflammation that usually causes redness, burning and blurred vision. Without a social safety net and isolated in his apartment, David turned to Open Hand Atlanta for meals to help him through his financial and medical crisis. Nearly a year later, he has seen his health improve dramatically and returned to class this fall. Open Hand Atlanta’s nutritious meals played a profound role in his recovery and his health today.

When people are seriously ill, good nutrition is one of the first things to break down, making recovery and stabilization more difficult, if not impossible. Open Hand Atlanta, one of the largest community providers of medically-adapted meal and nutrition services in the United States, recently reported that a third of its customers would have no idea where their next meal was coming from if it was not to receive Open Meals by hand. David is certainly among them.

For the first time in more than 50 years, the White House will host a Conference on hunger, nutrition and health September 28. This is a historic opportunity to propel “food is medicine” interventions – bringing food to the fore in addressing the health crisis in the United States. The goal is to accelerate progress and bring about meaningful change to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, reduce diet-related disease, and close the disparities that surround them. The last time a conference of this nature was held, it resulted in sweeping legislation such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program concept; school breakfast and lunch programs; the national approach to creating dietary recommendations; and the nutrition facts label.

The mission is clear: to reinvent our nation’s food system to end hunger, improve nutrition and reduce diet-related chronic disease. This conference can shine a light on our communities that are vulnerable due to food insecurity, especially those facing chronic health issues.

The solutions are clear too.

• Common-sense policies, as recommended by the national Food Is Medicine coalition, should include modernizing Medicare and Medicaid to make medically-appropriate meals a fully reimbursable benefit for people with serious and chronic illnesses. In addition, funding and large-scale implementation of medically-adapted meal pilots in Medicare and Medicaid programs would have significant benefits. Early and reliable access to medically appropriate meals helps individuals lead healthy and productive lives, produces better overall health outcomes and reduces healthcare costs. It is a solution that improves the health of the population and individuals, improves the experience of care and has proven effective in reducing costs.

• The expansion of research into medically appropriate meals has great potential. For example, Open Hand recently began studying the impact of medically adapted meals on women with gestational diabetes and improved outcomes for mothers and their babies. Georgia has one of the highest infant mortality rates in America.

• Finally, the identification of food insecurity and malnutrition in clinical settings is an urgent priority. Screening patients for food insecurity and connecting patients to food resources has been strongly supported in official statements from 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 are facing new challenges in our food system that are hurting Americans and costing the country hundreds of billions of dollars in avoidable healthcare costs each year. A person’s diet can be life-or-death and contributes to high rates of heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. About 50% of adults in the United States have diabetes or prediabetes, and 75% are overweight or obese. Chronic illnesses and nutrition-related illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and HIV/AIDS are rampant in Georgia.

Many health problems are rooted in lack of access to good nutrition, which is compounded by racial and socio-economic inequalities. In Georgia, access to medically appropriate meals is extremely limited. And that must change.

The United States stands at a critical crossroads in the fight against hunger, nutritional insecurity and diet-related disease. This is a watershed moment to increase access to medically appropriate meals and produce prescription programs, as well as stronger nutrition education for clinicians and appropriate insurance coverage for advice provided by registered dieticians.

We implore everyone who gathers at the White House conference this month to be a catalyst in expanding access to these lifesaving interventions.

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