Elevance Health and National Association of Community Health Centers Partnership Integrates Food as Medicine With Primary Care

By: Elevance Health, Inc. via Business Wire

August 18, 2025 at 09:00 AM EDT

Trained providers to screen, enroll eligible members to receive evidence-based nutrition and dietary services.

Elevance Health and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) are proud to announce the integration of Food as Medicine (FAM) programming with primary care Community Health Centers (CHCs). This milestone - built on a shared commitment to whole health and community-centered innovation - marks a transformative step forward in addressing food/nutrition insecurity and diet-related chronic conditions through clinical integration.

A Whole Health Approach to Redefining Primary Care

This initiative expands Elevance Health’s existing regional Nourished Well program serving Medicaid individuals by training primary care provider teams within CHCs on the effectiveness of FAM for patients and families. The program will help efficiently connect Medicaid members at risk for diet related chronic conditions within CHCs to personalized nutrition and whole health supports including medically tailored interventions, coaching, and referrals, all now accessible as part of regular primary care interactions.

“Incorporating Food as Medicine directly into primary care enables us to treat nutrition not just as a social driver of health, but as a clinical lever for improving outcomes,” said Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Chief Health Officer, Elevance Health. “Together with NACHC, we’re making nutrition integral to the way care is delivered — and not just an add-on.”

How It Works: Integrating Care Through Evidence-Based Models

The Elevance Health–NACHC partnership supports a full FAM Ecosystem Framework across three pillars:

Food Access & Security: Leveraging telehealth and CHC-based referral networks to eliminate access barriers.
Clinical Integration: Embedding nutrition protocols and referrals within primary care workflows.
Lifestyle Interventions: Delivering culturally relevant, dietitian-led services that address both medical and social needs.

“For 60 years, CHCs have been innovating in delivering comprehensive primary care, including but not limited to nutrition services, community gardens, and community kitchens. Our collaboration with Elevance Health is an opportunity to assess, identify, and scale evidence-based nutrition-based care models to the communities that need them most,” said Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO, NACHC. “By integrating Food as Medicine into primary care, we’re better positioned to reduce food and nutrition insecurity and deliver chronic disease prevention and management to the nearly 34 million patients – one in ten Americans – who rely on health centers for care.”

Elevance Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health, will also separately support NACHC through a six-month Food as Medicine grant. With this grant funding, NACHC will assess existing regional Food as Medicine programs at CHCs, evaluate current and potential policies supporting FAM sustainability, and develop a scalable CHC FAM model integrating community resources, clinical interventions, and nutritious food delivery.

Impact and Future Vision

By strengthening care connections and reducing the administrative burden on care teams, this program enhances patient engagement, supports chronic disease management, and reinforces preventive health efforts. It also fosters stronger quality metrics for CHCs and increases participation in essential services.

The long-term vision includes developing a Nutrition Center of Excellence, jointly designed by Elevance Health, NACHC, and CHCs, serving as a scalable national model to promote food-based clinical care.

An exploration of Elevance Health’s Food as Medicine approach can be found at https://www.elevancehealth.com/our-approach-to-health/food-as-medicine.

About Elevance Health

Elevance Health is a lifetime, trusted health partner whose purpose is to improve the health of humanity. The company supports consumers, families, and communities across the entire healthcare journey – connecting them to the care, support, and resources they need to lead better lives. Elevance Health’s companies serve over 109 million consumers through a diverse portfolio of industry-leading medical, pharmacy, behavioral, clinical, home health, and complex care solutions. For more information, please visit www.elevancehealth.com or follow us @ElevanceHealth on X and Elevance Health on LinkedIn.

About NACHC

NACHC’s mission is to champion Community Health Centers delivering affordable, effective, comprehensive primary care that is community-driven and improves health for all.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250818969189/en/

“Together with NACHC, we’re making nutrition integral to the way care is delivered — and not just an add-on.” - Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Chief Health Officer, Elevance Health.

Contacts

Media Contact:

Lindsay Wehr

Director, Corporate Media Relations

Elevance Health

Lindsay.wehr@elevancehealth.com

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Elevance Health and National Association of Community Health Centers Partnership Integrates Food as Medicine With Primary Care

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