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In an interview with pharmacy times, Anusha McNamara, PharmD, BCACP, ambulatory care pharmacy supervisor at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and Erin Franey, MPH, director of the Food as Medicine Collaboration, discuss the food as medicine movement and pharmacists. We discussed how people can get involved. Food pharmacy, in particular, presents a unique opportunity for pharmacists to collaborate with other health care providers, improve access to nutritious foods, and find unique opportunities to counsel patients.
Q: How does nutrition specifically impact overall health?
Anusha McNamara, PharmD, BCACP: Malnutrition is the root cause of many chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, and the list goes on. Therefore, proper nutrition and easy access to good quality, fresh and nutritious food is the antidote and the answer to managing our vast world. Most chronic diseases.
Erin Franey, MPH: In addition, we know that food affects health in a broader range of ways. I have both chronic illnesses. We also think about mental health, some kind of social well-being, some kind of family community health. Having that access and being able to eat really high quality, nutritious, culturally appropriate food means there are so many benefits for the community as well. Whether you like each person’s body type and lived experience.
Q: What is the Food as Medicine movement and what is its history?
Erin Franey, MPH: For us, I work for a small organization called the Food As Medicine Collaborative, but we define ourselves as a multidisciplinary organization that includes not only clinics, hospitals, and health care systems, but also food companies, nonprofits, advocacy groups, and more. We believe that it is a federation of departments. We are seriously investing in connecting healthy food and healthcare. So when we think about ‘what is food as medicine?’, it’s about really integrating healthy foods into healthcare delivery, and for us, the real focus is on the systems and policy changes that are needed to do that. There is. What does it actually take to run a program? That way, it’s not just a short-term, subsidized experience for a handful of people, but in fact, again, you’ve heard about continuing primary care provision, and I think broadly speaking, “food as medicine” interventions are actually used to prevent treatment and, in some cases, even reverse the various chronic diseases Anusha described. . People and cultures around the world use food as a way to heal, treat, prevent and support their health.
I think there were some leaders early on who were talking about our health in the context of health care in the United States. In Massachusetts, we also have a Therapeutic Food Pantry, probably at Massachusetts General, and I think both are often considered to be kind of early innovators in this field. For us, the food pharmacy program was first piloted at his San Francisco Health Network in 2015 and has really grown and developed in the years since then. Finally, I think that interest in insurance that covers food as a medical benefit is increasing at both the public and private sectors on a national and policy scale. I think Massachusetts or North Carolina were the first states to do that, and it started around 2018 or 2020. California could then join the movement by providing food as targeted community assistance through its January 2022 Medicaid waiver.
Q: What is food pharmacy and why are pharmacists becoming increasingly involved in nutrition initiatives?
Erin Franey, MPH: Food pharmacies house healthy foods and other resources related to cooking and nutrition within clinics to improve overall health and chronic disease management, and improve racial health, especially within San Francisco health network clinics. The aim is to promote health equity among people. We are thinking about his five elements of food pharmacy. Food pharmacies are often set up in this type of farmers market style because there is actual access to groceries. When people walk through it, they see an abundance of baskets and boxes of produce and other foodstuffs that they can pick up, smell, taste, choose and take home. Masu. Because of this knowledge and education component, we partner with clinic dietitians to provide cooking demonstrations, sample samples, and distribute take-home recipes, especially for things that people are unfamiliar with. I often do this. Eggplant is common. Many people are afraid of eggplants. That gave me an idea.
We think of them like skills and tools, and we don’t just provide the actual equipment – pots, cutting boards, things like that – to help patients prepare meals where they live; It really helps people develop skills related to. And community connections, and for us, it’s connecting patients to other food resources that may be eligible for a local community-based organization called SNAP (WIC) and actually having peer support within the food pharmacy. It’s both about building a community of support. And finally, building and repairing trust between patients and clinics and clinic providers. We believe that food pharmacy is a comprehensive program that actually works to address food and nutrition insecurity in patients and actually improve their health through the process. Anusha and I were just talking about how we look at food. There’s probably a historical reason why patients aren’t as involved in their healthcare because the pharmacy is like a door, it’s like an access point to healthcare, it’s like involvement in the healthcare system. And I think there are many systemic reasons. This can be a tool for people to really make connections.
Anusha McNamara, PharmD, BCACP: Pharmacists are important members of the healthcare team. Our primary care team includes primary care providers, nurses, RNs, MBAs, social workers, and pharmacists. Therefore, pharmacists play an important role in medication management to improve chronic diseases. Therefore, medication, nutrition, and exercise are his three elements. It really helps improve the management of chronic diseases. It makes a lot of sense for them to work closely together, and here’s why pharmacists get involved in food pharmacy. Erin Similar to food, pharmacies were said to play a major role in giving patients who are not engaged in care a reason to engage in care. The other is directing patients who need the appropriate resources to those resources. As a result, patients employed in food pharmacies often have uncontrollable chronic conditions, making pharmacists the perfect addition to the team to see such patients. Uncontrolled chronic condition. When we’re talking to patients, we’re talking about diet, exercise, medications, so we have an opportunity to say, “Yes, diet is an important part, and again, like the diet that we’re going to take from today.” . It’s part of your care, I’m also going to adjust your medication.
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