This bill would create a federal grant program to expand integrated health and nutrition services for underserved places with high rates of chronic disease. The Secretary of Health and Human Services, working with the Secretary of Agriculture, would award grants to a lead eligible entity that applies on behalf of a local coalition. Applicants must submit a community needs assessment, a care integration plan that links health and nutrition, and a measurable outcomes plan. Priority goes to communities with high chronic disease, high food insecurity, health professional shortages, medically underserved status, rural location, or persistent poverty. Grant funds may be used for care coordination, community health workers or patient navigators, referral systems, transportation, nutrition and self-management education, Food Is Medicine programs, data and evaluation systems, and outreach and enrollment. Grants must use evidence-based or evidence-informed models, serve people with family incomes at or below 200% of the poverty line or otherwise medically underserved, and maintain coalition partnership agreements. Grants run up to 3 years and may be renewed for 2 more years based on performance. Grantees must report annually on participant demographics, services delivered, lessons learned, and outcomes such as HbA1c, blood pressure, BMI, food security, continuity of care, program engagement, health behavior changes, and related emergency department visits and hospitalizations. The bill authorizes $15,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
If you are a community health center, federally qualified health center, nonprofit hospital, food bank, or nonprofit with health or nutrition expertise, your organization could apply as a lead eligible entity or join a local coalition to receive grant funds. Funded programs could provide coordinated clinical care, nutrition education, medically tailored food deliveries, community health workers, transportation support, and improved data tracking. Programs must serve low-income or medically underserved people and use evidence-based approaches. Individuals in eligible communities might see more local services that connect medical care with food and social support, but receipt of services depends on local organizations applying for and winning grants.
The bill authorizes $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out the grant program. Grants are for up to 3 years and may be renewed for an additional 2 years based on performance. No publicly available information on total program costs beyond the yearly authorization is included in the bill text.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.