Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) today announced the Evers Administration has submitted a letter of intent for the Food is Medicine State Officer Program, a three-year initiative to empower states to build capacity for better health outcomes through food-based interventions. The program can include services like medically tailored meals and groceries, and produce prescriptions to help people prevent, manage, and treat diet-related health conditions like heart disease and diabetes. DHS hopes Wisconsin will be one of the 10 states chosen to receive funding, training, technical assistance, leadership coaching, and support to expand the Food is Medicine Program statewide.
“Food is critically important to any conversation we have about health—it’s about connecting the dots to make sure Wisconsinites can be their best and healthy selves. Especially as many families are struggling to make ends meet and kids, working families, and seniors across our state can no longer access basic food and groceries, making sure folks can get healthy meals and healthy food is exceedingly important,” said Gov. Tony Evers. “We’re hopeful we’re going to be able to build upon our efforts and expand Food is Medicine benefits and the Wisconsinites we serve to help improve health outcomes across our state by making sure folks have sustainable and healthy food access.”