California and Project Open Hand have led the country in launching the first statewide Medically Tailored Meal program in the United States. The first-of-its-kind medical nutrition pilot program, California Senate Bill (SB) 97 was signed into law in June 2017 with $6 million dollars funding over a three-year period. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) oversees the program and will evaluate it at the end of the three years.
The Medi-Cal Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) Pilot Program is a medical nutrition intervention for Medi-Cal beneficiaries with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Aimed at reducing hospital and emergency department 30-day and 90-day readmissions, the Medi-Cal benefit includes complete nutrition of three meals per day, for 12 weeks and four Medical Nutrition Therapy sessions during the intervention, at no cost to the patient.
Medical Referrals (Enrollment Now Closed):
Patients with congestive heart failure who were enrolled in this program received 12 weeks of medically tailored meals in addition to four Medical Nutrition Therapy sessions with a Registered Dietitian.
We thank all of the clinicians, medical providers, and clients for their interest and participation in this program through the last three years that have helped make this program a success!
If you have questions regarding the MTM Pilot Program, please contact Serena Ngo at sngo@openhand.org or 415-447-2462.
Additional Information:
For more information about the program, please take a look at the California Food is Medicine Coalition Website