- Eight health centers across the U.S. participate in
Innovation Incubator to find new ways to integrate healthy food
into clinical care
- Now in its second year, the goal of the Innovation Incubator
is to share what works with 1,400 health centers providing
affordable care for 31+ million
ABBOTT PARK, Ill. and BETHESDA, Md., June 20,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global healthcare company
Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and the
National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) have
joined together to increase access to healthy foods and improve
health through the Innovation Incubator initiative. Eight community
health centers have been selected to receive funding, expert
guidance and training to design and test new solutions to help
advance nutrition and improve care in their communities.
One in eight U.S. households (12.8%) experience food insecurity,
or lack of access to an affordable, nutritious diet. Studies show
that integrating nutritious food into clinical care can help
address chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and/or heart
disease. Now in its second year, the Innovation Incubator awardees
will bring forward innovative ideas to help heath centers across
the country improve access to nutritious food as a part of a
healthy lifestyle for their patients, regardless of their ZIP code
or ability to pay for health services.
"Food insecurity severely impacts the health of underinvested
communities," said NACHC President and CEO Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP. "We're thrilled to continue
our collaboration with Abbott for
the second year as the partner of choice in generating innovative
solutions for population health. As the nation's largest primary
care network, health centers' highly effective and innovative
integrated model of care reaches beyond the walls of the
traditional exam room to not only prevent illness but also address
the social drivers that may cause poor health. Our focus this year
is to create sustainable, effective strategies that solve food
challenges and improve nutrition."
"Nutritious food is essential for good health, but far too often
it's not available to people who need it," said Melissa Brotz, president of Abbott Fund and vice
president, Global Marketing and External Affairs, Abbott. "We're excited to work together with
NACHC and community health centers across the country to generate
innovative and practical ideas to improve access to food, nutrition
education and health services to help people live healthier
lives."
Innovating for Health Equity at Community Health
Centers
As established, trusted institutions, community health centers
play a crucial role in addressing health barriers for the people
they serve. The aim of the Innovation Incubator is to support
health centers in imagining, building and testing sustainable
solutions for their unique populations – all with the broader goal
of sharing what works with health centers nationwide to advance
health access and equity.
Through a competitive process, health centers across the U.S.
submitted their proposals and NACHC selected eight health centers
to participate in this year's Innovation Incubator, focused on
improving health equity through access to nutritious food. Projects
include work across a number of areas, from creating community
gardens and conducting nutrition education, to providing expectant
mothers and people with chronic diseases with the customized
nutrition they need. The eight health centers receiving funding
through the 2024 Innovation Incubator initiative include:
- Affinia Healthcare, St.
Louis
- Asian Health Services, Oakland,
Calif.
- Cabin Creek Health Systems, Charleston, W.Va.
- Delaware Valley Community Health, Philadelphia
- White House Clinics, Richmond,
Ky.
- Mainline Health Systems, Inc., Monticello, Ark.
- Tri-Area Community Health, Laurel
Fork, Va.
- Urban Health Plan, New
York
These health centers will develop and test new solutions over
six months, putting the unique perspectives, experiences and
challenges of their communities at the forefront. Centers will
be supported by subject matter experts across diverse fields
through individualized coaching and mentoring to help design and
implement their projects.
Each center will be awarded $30,000 and will have a chance to win one of two
additional recognition awards at a live competitive pitch session
in Fall 2024. NACHC will share the results with 1,400 health
centers across the country, informing the care of more than 31
million patients.
"In response to higher rates of both food insecurity and chronic
illnesses that can be better managed through healthier diets, Urban
Health Plan and many of our community partners in the Bronx have prioritized making healthy food
accessible to residents through food pantries, farmers markets, and
regular food distribution events," said Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez, president and CEO,
Urban Health Plan. "That's why we're excited to be part of the
Innovation Incubator. We're planning to bring in local chefs to
help educate our community on preparing healthier meals with a
focus on affordable and culturally relevant foods that can be found
locally. With support from Abbott
and NACHC, we aim to help our neighbors with chronic conditions
like diabetes and hypertension eat better and healthier."
2023 Incubator Impact
With funding support from Abbott, NACHC's Center for Community Health
Innovation and other experts from across the organization launched
the inaugural incubator in March
2023, with a focus on finding new ways to break down the
"digital divide" in health by addressing key digital and health
literacy challenges in communities. Eight health centers across the
U.S. participated in the incubator, reaching more than 45,000
people with projects that included accessing telehealth care,
understanding and using electronic registration and web portal
tools, and meeting language and rural health needs.
About Community Health Centers:
Since the nation's first Community Health Centers opened in
1965, expansion of the federally supported health center system to
over 1,400 organizations created an affordable health care option
for more than 31 million people. Health centers provide access to
crucial and comprehensive primary care by reducing barriers such as
cost, lack of insurance, distance, and language for their patients.
In doing so, health centers — also called Federally Qualified
Health Centers (FQHCs) – provide substantial benefits and
cost-savings to the country and its health care system. For more
information on their essential role in public health, visit
NACHC.org.
About NACHC:
NACHC is the leading innovative change agent collaborating with
affiliates and partners to advance Community Health Centers as the
foundation of an equitable health care system free from disparities
and built on accessible, patient-governed, high-quality, integrated
primary care. For more information, visit NACHC.org.
About Abbott:
Abbott supports the Innovation
Incubator as part of its broader work to innovate for greater
access and affordability in health, the key priority of
Abbott's 2030 Sustainability
Plan.
Through its businesses and in partnership with others,
Abbott and its foundation Abbott
Fund are investing in communities to help remove the barriers that
prevent people from living healthy lives.
Abbott is a global healthcare
leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our
portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of
healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics,
medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our
114,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. Connect
with us at www.abbott.com and on LinkedIn,
Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
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