THE NOURISHING EFFECT

CHAPTER 2
in Medicaid.” In Medicaid, states can use waivers to test innovative approaches of delivering
health care, just as they can in SNAP. The main condition for getting a waiver is that the
demonstration project must be budget neutral.
New York applied for and received a waiver to test FVRx ® with Medicaid patients. Two
hospitals in the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal
healthcare system in the United States, 77 participated in an FVRx ® program in 2013.
They were Harlem Hospital Center, a 272-bed teaching hospital that serves an estimated
5,000 overweight or obese children every year, and Lincoln Medical and Mental Health
Center, a 347-bed teaching hospital that provides health care to people who live in the South
Bronx and in parts of Upper Manhattan. An estimated 30 to 40 percent of the community’s
residents are overweight or obese. The two hospitals enrolled 116 patients, with 551 family
members also sharing in prescription benefits. The average age of the patients was 9. In its
first year, FVRx ® helped 40 percent of the children lower their Body Mass Index, and more
than half of the families reported having more food to eat at home. 78
At the end of 2014, Dr. Ramanathan Raju, HHC’s president and CEO, explained to his
board of directors: “I think we’ve learned that sometimes a prescription for fresh food can
be even better than a prescription for medicine. And when doctors do more than just ask
patients to eat more fruits and vegetables—when they take concrete steps to make it easier for
patients and go out of their way to demonstrate the benefits—patients really listen.” 79
Figure 2.7
The Fruit and Vegetable Prescription ® (FVRx ® ) Program: How Does It Work?
2
1
Participants attend a FVRx
clinical visit to set goals and
discuss nutrition and the
importance of healthy eating.
3
Patients are enrolled
by a health provider
as a FVRx participant.
5
THE FVRx PROCESS
4
Participants receive a FVRx
prescription during the
visit and health indicators
are collected.
Participants attend monthly
clinic visits to refill their
FVRx prescription and set
new goals for healthy eating.
Prescriptions are redeemed
for fresh fruits and vegetables
at a participating retailer,
where redemption is tracked.
Source: Wholesome Wave
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