STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NourishedRx, formerly known as Project Well, today launched an expanded offering of culturally-relevant grocery bundles and fresh produce to better serve health plans and individuals who need it the most. NourishedRx is a digital health company that engages patients and health plan members and matches them with high-quality healthful food solutions.

In the U.S., about 90% of the total $3.8 trillion spent on health care can be linked to costs associated with treating chronic conditions.¹ These conditions include heart disease, diabetes, and obesity – all of which can be prevented, mitigated, or managed with a healthy diet. NourishedRx is based on the idea that access to high-quality, nutritious food will play a vital role in both disease prevention and the future healthcare model.

"At NourishedRx, we know that food is foundational to health and is key to caring for vulnerable populations. Nutrition insecurity is all too common and is known to increase the onset and progression of chronic diseases dramatically," said Lauren Driscoll, CEO, and founder of NourishedRx. "Today's announcement reflects our ongoing expansion and commitment to providing a targeted solution for people facing nutrition insecurity and suffering from various diet-related conditions. We present a simple yet incredibly effective solution to improve lives and bend the healthcare cost curve." 

The company's original core offering is a 4 to 12-month intervention which provides highly personalized food solutions - meals and groceries, education, and encouragement - to the highest-risk patients and members. Its innovative Registered Dietitian-supervised smart platform matches members with high-quality food offerings personalized to individual tastes and circumstances. It leverages evidence-based behavioral science to support lasting dietary change and, ultimately, improved health outcomes. 

NourishedRx's new offering of culturally relevant grocery and fresh produce bundles, paired with shopping and meal prep guidance and nutrition consultations, provides health plans and members with more options and flexibility. The new products are offered for 1 to 2 months on a renewable basis. They include assistance with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and connection to community-based organizations, helping create a long-term solution for members facing nutrition insecurity or suffering from chronic disease.

Dena Bravata MD, co-Founder of Lyra Health and advisor to NourishedRx says, "Both diet and behavior change are complex for all of us, but it's exceedingly complex for those who are nutrition insecure or lacking the consistent availability and affordability of foods that promote well-being and prevent or treat diseases. NourishedRx is tackling this complexity with a robust evidence-based approach." 

The inspiration for the new product line came from insights from three programs that NourishedRx is currently running with major healthcare plans in the Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid spaces. One program is a first-of-its-kind dietary support for high-risk BIPOC pregnant women and their families with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota (BCBS of MN), aimed at improving infant and maternal health using food and education-based interventions. 

Amy Bloomquist, Director of Population Health Design at BCBS of MN adds,"NourishedRx, in partnership with Second Harvest Heartland and a range of culturally relevant food partners, is serving personalized and pleasing food solutions to our members and supporting local businesses at the same time. The relevance of their offer has driven exceptional member engagement and retention. We are delighted with these results, which pave the way to tackle the burden of nutrition insecurity." 

Through the course of the program, NourishedRx has adjusted food offerings to be more culturally specific, and doing so, they see a greater than 80% retention rate in the program and have had no preterm or low birth weight pregnancies to date. 

The new culturally-relevant groceries and fresh produce will scale the impact of the NourishedRx solution to a broader range of patients and health plan members. 

NourishedRx, currently operating in Michigan, Indiana, and Minnesota, is launching in Texas, Florida, Arizona, Illinois, and Georgia in January 2022. The company will have nationwide coverage by Q2 2022.

About NourishedRx
Founded in 2019, with the support of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, NourishedRx (formerly Project Well) is the first smart, Food-as-Medicine market platform designed to drive lasting dietary change for health plan members. The company's core AI-enabled platform matches at-risk members with personalized, Registered Dietitian–vetted high quality meal offerings that leverage behavioral science to support lasting dietary change and, ultimately, improved health outcomes. 

The platform unlocks the untapped potential of nutrition, by integrating clinically tailored meals and diet education into the healthcare payment and delivery system. NourishedRx's food interventions address food insecurity, improve physical and mental health outcomes including loneliness, and will lead to a reduction in health care costs, as demonstrated by numerous peer-reviewed studies compiled by CHLPI found here. 

More information can be found at https://www.nourishedrx.com or on LinkedIn.

¹ Food is Medicine: Peer Reviewed Research in the U.S. compiled by The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School (CHLPI)

Media Contact: Natalie Wanner, [email protected]

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SOURCE NourishedRx