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During the meeting, the Secretary reiterated his commitment to Food is Medicine initiatives and highlighted the need to increase nutrition training for medical professionals.
On Wednesday, November 29, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra held a roundtable on hunger, nutrition and health – including work on Food is Medicine programs and the importance of nutrition training.
During the roundtable, Secretary Becerra highlighted the important accomplishments to date by the Biden-Harris Administration to improve access to healthy nutritious food while reducing inequities. The Secretary expressed his appreciation to the leaders on the call for their efforts to meet their respective obligations stemming from the 2022 White House Conference and asked them to elaborate on the progress they have made toward those goals. Additionally, the Secretary underscored the need to increase nutrition training for medical professionals, and further integrate food as medicine throughout the health care system.
Also participating in the roundtable were leaders from organizations which participated in the September 28, 2022, White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. At the 2022 conference, the first such conference held since 1969, participating organizations committed to helping catalyze an “all of society” approach to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and close disparities surrounding them.
The Biden-Harris Administration has taken several actions to improve food security and nutrition. Last year, the Administration released a National Strategy in conjunction with the Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to serve as a roadmap for ending hunger, improving nutrition and physical activity, and eliminating disparities across the nation. The National Strategy is organized around five pillars:
HHS, in support of the National Strategy, has been operating various food is medicine programs. They include the Indian Health Services’(IHS) produce prescription pilot program, which has awarded $2.5 million to combat food insecurity in tribal communities, testing coverage of nutritional assistance and medically tailored meals for states through Medicaid, and the release of the U.S. Playbook to Address Social Determinants of Health to coordinate health care with health-related social needs, including nutrition and housing. Through these programs and others, HHS is effectively leveraging its resources and working with partners across the Biden-Harris Administration, private sector, and non-profit sector to improve nutrition and reduce systemic health inequities.
The following representatives participated in the roundtable:
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