This article was published in commemoration of National Nutrition Month.
line: Katelyn Smoger, director, Food is Medicine and Farming, Trinity Health Michigan
Food is medicine. Health through Food. GenerateRx. The integration of healthy food into health care comes under many names, but the message remains the same: access to healthy foods as part of treatment.
Programs such as generating prescriptions, health food packages and medically adjusted meals are gaining attention as effective ways to treat and prevent diet-related chronic diseases.
In Michigan, 55% of residents have a diet-related chronic condition, and nearly 20% manage those conditions while living below 200% of the federal poverty level. In 2026, that income is less than $30,000 for a single adult. Economic instability, food insecurity, limited access to transportation and housing instability are all factors that affect overall health.
Trinity Health Michigan’s Food is Medicine program, a core pillar of community health and well-being, combines social and clinical care by offering local food to patients experiencing food or nutritional insecurity or managing diet-related chronic diseases. This integration addresses fundamental barriers to good health while improving outcomes, reducing care costs and enhancing the patient experience.
Our program operates out of three locations: Muskegon, Pontiac and Ypsilanti. Each location offers five core areas of integration, offering providers, patients and community members a range of interventions that meet them where they are.
Delivering to Patients
Food produced at the hospital-based farm is donated to clinical partners. In 2025, 30,000 lbs. food is harvested at The Farm and distributed to clinical partners, becoming a tool for providers to have authentic, human-centered conversations about healthy eating and access to food, while supporting improved health screenings. Patients identified with food-related needs are then referred to the Food is Medicine team at Epic, where they can access additional resources.
Client Choice, On Campus Food Pantries
Offering healthy food items such as milk, shelf-stable protein, dry goods, fruits and vegetables at campus food pantries creates opportunities for patients and community members to eat nutritious meals regardless of their economic circumstances. Pantries can be accessed by the recipient themselves or supported by the acute care team, ensuring that there is food available for patients in need. Food pantries will be used more than 6,000 times in 2025.
Farm market
In season, the weekly market offers fresh, local food for purchase, creating an access point for high-quality fruits and vegetables in communities identified by the USDA as having limited access by foot or vehicle. In addition to cash, credit and payroll, the market also accepts SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks and Produce Prescriptions.
Education
Education and engagement are integrated throughout Food is Medicine. Nutrition education, medical resident rotation, youth education and field trips, workshops and weekly engagement tables make Food is Medicine programming fun, approachable and meaningful, keeping children and adults alike trying new foods and developing an understanding of how those foods affect their health.
The Farm Share
A weekly box of locally grown produce is offered to participating members from April to December. Designed to make Food is Medicine accessible, The Farm Share offers nine types of membership, a five-day pick-up window and a weekly newsletter that includes healthy recipes, information about farmers and storage tips. In 2025, nearly 900 unique members participate in the program across the country. More than 60% of those members received the program at no cost after being screened for food insecurity. A 2024 evaluation of the program, funded by The Michigan Health Endowment Fund, found that participants’ food security increased by 125%.
The Food is Medicine program can be an economic driver that supports and strengthens the communities we serve when implemented in a way that prioritizes local food procurement and distribution. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ In lieu of services policy, which offers food and nutrition services to eligible Medicaid enrollees, is among the first in the nation to require Medicaid Health Plans to use local vendors participating in the Michigan food economy. From Farm to FIM, a recent report published by The Rockefeller Foundation identified that the Food is Medicine program in Michigan has the potential to add 13,330 jobs and more than $2 billion to the state’s gross domestic product.
As the Food is Medicine program is implemented across the country, I encourage healthcare leaders to recognize the opportunities that exist: clinical integration, cross-sector collaboration and community-based partnerships can change how the world thinks and participates in healthcare.
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