Medically Tailored Meals
Solano County Medically Tailored Meals Collaborative Action Network
The Solano County Medically Tailored Meals Collaborative Action Network is united by a shared commitment to enhance community health through strategic partnerships. Our primary goal is to establish a network for community-based collaborators to contribute to the vision, design and implementation of a transformative Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) system in Solano County. Dedicated nonprofit organizations, healthcare professionals, food enterprises, chefs and local farmers come together in this action network with community well-being as the end goal.
What are Medically Tailored Meals?
Medically Tailored Meals are personalized nutrition plans delivered to individuals facing chronic and serious illnesses, following referrals from medical professionals or healthcare plans. Crafted by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, these meals are designed to improve health outcomes, reduce the cost of care, and enhance patient satisfaction. All meals are healthy and low in sodium and saturated fat. MTM programs can include home-delivered medically tailored meals and nutrition education or therapy.
Our Vision: A Healthier and More Connected Solano County
We envision a community where individuals with significant need for nutritional support, irrespective of their background, can access culturally relevant, locally sourced, locally prepared, and nutritious medically tailored meals. Join us as we unite industry experts to build a Solano County where health is a shared priority.
Key Initiatives:
- Collaborative Community Network: Collaborate with local nonprofits, businesses, government agencies and individual professionals to build and execute the vision for the community’s benefit.
- Equip and Empower Local Chefs: Partner with local chefs to equip and empower businesses in crafting culturally relevant and Registered Dietary Nutritionist-certified meals.
- Community Engagement and Education: Beyond meals, educate through workshops and events, engaging healthcare and culinary industry professionals, as well as local youth, to promote community health.
Food is Medicine
“People living with serious illnesses benefit from eating foods that are specifically designed for their diagnosis, as well as the additional complications that come with that illness (i.e., treatment side effects and comorbidities). Medically tailored meals help the ‘sickest of the sick’ in our communities, or the 5% of patients that generate 50% of healthcare costs,” according to the Food is Medicine Coalition. This statistic underscores the significant impact that medically tailored meals can have across our communities. While medically tailored meals are the highest priority, we recognize the need for efforts across all levels of this work.
Join Us in Building a Healthier and More Connected Solano County
Whether you’re a healthcare professional, chef, farmer or industry advocate, your involvement is pivotal. Take some time to explore our history and initiatives, and join us in building a healthier and more connected Solano County by contacting us at info@sustainablesolano.org
Key Stakeholders
Healthcare Providers and Administration
Solano Public Health
Touro University
Culinary Experts, Chefs, and Meal Providers
Meals on Wheels Solano County
Thistle
Local Farmers, Food Suppliers, and Transportation
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
Food is Free Bay Area
Collaboration, Coordination, and Policy
Sustainable Solano
Innovative Health Solutions
Solano Local Food System Alliance (Includes a wide variety of stakeholders committed to fulfilling the mission of creating an environmentally sustainable, economically viable, socially just and equitable local food system in Solano County. Many of these MTM stakeholders are also Alliance members.)
The Food Agriculture and Nutrition Network of Solano County (FANNS)
Coalition Meetings
Meeting 1
This meeting brought together several organizations and individuals interested in building a Medically Tailored Meals (MTM) program in Solano County. Participants were asked to think about the role of their organizations and where they might fit into an MTM program — and where there were existing gaps that needed to be addressed.
View slides from this meeting here.
Meeting 2
This meeting held network updates, including opportunities to support MTM in Solano County through Meals on Wheels’ role as Solano County’s central coordinator for a statewide MTM plan, and IHS’s updates on its MTM pilots in the county. The network also discussed the importance of access to culturally diverse meals, and the role of the network in supporting the success of the long-term vision for MTM in the county.
Pilot MTM Programs
Innovative Health Solutions
IHS has done several pilot MTM programs to test implementing and evaluating the success of those programs. They include:
- La Clinica
- Black Infant Health
- Partnership Health Plan
Learn more about IHS’s pilot programs here.
Thistle
Vacaville-based healthy prepared-meals provider Thistle has done several pilot projects where it prepared MTM for Kaiser Permanente patients.
Learn More Here
Medically Tailored Meals Educational Forum
The Solano Local Food System Alliance hosted this educational discussion on medically tailored meals with Cathryn Couch of Ceres Community Project, Paul Hepfer of Project Open Hand, Norma Lisenko of Innovative Health Solutions and Lauren Gucik of Sustainable Solano.
View the slides from Cathryn Couch’s presentation here.
Nourishing Solano County: A Collaborative Vision for Medically Tailored Meals
A medically tailored meals program has yet to be fully established in the county, but initiatives are already underway. A diverse group of stakeholders from various sectors have rallied together, all driven by a shared vision.