OhioHealth To Address Chronic Disease and Food Insecurity with Telenutrition

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated an existing problem: too many Americans deal with insufficient access to quality food. Meanwhile, over 50% of Americans are suffering from at least one chronic disease that can be directly linked to poor nutrition, a problem that will expand due to weight gain during COVID.

That's why OhioHealth is pleased to announce its partnership with Foodsmart, the telenutrition and foodcare leader. Together they will help associates save time and money on quality food they can enjoy with their family. 

The American Psychological Association found that more than 40% of Americans have gained over 30 pounds in recent months.  Poor nutrition remains the leading driver of disability and healthcare costs in America, while intensifying levels of diabesity and food and nutrition insecurity disproportionately impact lower income and minority communities.  The Urban Institute found that food insufficiency rates among minority populations were more than three times as high as white populations, reaching the highest point in seven years. 

To address these urgent needs, Foodsmart now helps OhioHealth position health and chronic condition management at the forefront of associate care.  

"Food is medicine and critical to our health, yet the act of feeding ourselves and our families can be stressful, complicated and expensive," said Jason Langheier, MD, MPH, the CEO and Founder of Foodsmart.  "Foodsmart takes the guesswork out of quality, affordable food buying in an accessible, dignified and culturally relevant manner ? making it the nutrition solution for individuals and families nationwide."

Foodsmart is a highly personalized telenutrition service with the largest national network of registered dietitians designed to support lasting changes to eating behavior, leading to sustainable weight loss and improved health outcomes. 

Registered dietitians (RDs) offer tailored guidance while helping beneficiaries maximize Foodsmart's digital food marketplace to deliver that guidance to their tables cost-effectively.  Foodsmart provides access to recommended foods and recipes through integrations with grocers (from Walmart and Amazon to favorite local stores through Instacart), restaurants via Grubhub, meal kits and ready-to-eat medically tailored meals.  Foodsmart then helps individuals and families sustain eating well by leveraging grocery price comparisons, discounts and promotion of personalized, affordable recipes. 

This approach means processed food advertising is filtered out and replaced with incremental encouragement to healthier options.  Customers can even browse current local store specials on healthy food, without such advertisements in the way.  Foodsmart grocery lists can be fulfilled online in less than 5 minutes versus the typical 90 minutes, with an average savings of 34% per order.  And the platform's convenient CookItNow feature offers recipe recommendations based on food that customers might already have on hand. 

Employees love Foodsmart (NPS > 80) because it is uniquely personalized and makes quality food buying easier and affordable.

Foodsmart RDs can guide lower wage earners to newly expanded SNAP benefits and help them use these benefits online through the Foodsmart marketplace.  OhioHealth can target these food insecure families with ROI validated healthy food directed spend, meal subsidies, subsidized delivery fees for people in remote areas, or facilitate frozen meals for those who cannot cook easily.  Additionally, SNAP and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) benefits can now be used online through Foodsmart via national and local grocers, which deliver to customers at home. 

OhioHealth can now also provide 'foodscripts' for sub-populations with subsidized clinically validated diets and care coordination to help employees sustainably and cost-effectively address weight, diabesity or cardiovascular disease risk factors.  By sustainably improving eating behavior along with nutrition status and weight, Foodsmart is clinically proven to reduce rates of hyperlipidemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia.

"Eating well can be a daily challenge for our associates who work shifts around the clock," said Kim Allen, OhioHealth Wellness Advisor. "It's important for us to support their healthy eating habits so they can feel their best."

By providing nutrition guidance and access to engaging and empowering content with the safety and security of the Foodsmart digital platform, OhioHealth strives to contribute to the long-term health of its associates.

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About Foodsmart
Zipongo Inc, dba Foodsmart, is eating well made simple.  We are the world's largest telenutrition and foodcare solution, backed by a national network of Registered Dietitians and designed to yield consistently healthier food choices, lasting behavior change and long-term results.  Foodsmart's highly customizable app-based platform is an ERISA Benefit that guides associates through a personalized journey to eating well while saving them time and money.  Foodsmart seamlessly integrates dietary assessments and nutrition counseling with online food ordering and cost-effective meal planning for the whole family that makes the most of ingredients at home and on the go. Foodsmart supports more than 1.25 million associates from over 700 employers plus regional and national health plans, with an NPS > 80.  The digital platform's comprehensive features facilitate healthcare cost savings and aid employee hiring and retention. Learn more at www.foodsmart.com.

About OhioHealth
OhioHealth is a not-for-profit, faith-based, charitable healthcare organization. With 35,000 associates, physicians and volunteers, and a network of 12 hospitals, more than 200 ambulatory sites, hospice, home health, medical equipment and other health services spanning 47 Ohio counties, our mission is to improve the health of those we serve. We provide care through a range of clinical programs and services, and have received local, state and national recognition for our neuroscience, cancer, heart and vascular, and women's health care.

SOURCE Zipongo DBA Foodsmart