Events

We hold quarterly virtual convenings, bringing together food advocates and health stakeholders to discuss current policy challenges and solutions for improving food security through Medicaid. All are welcome.

 

November 2025

Here are the recording and slides for the Quarterly Convening on November 20, where we previewed a new MFSN guide to Food is Medicine (FIM) cost-effectiveness analysis for state governments and advocates co-developed with actuaries. We also shared insights and programmatic experience on integrative approaches to FIM, as discussed in the recently released MFSN brief on how Food is Medicine is complementary with SNAP & WIC.

 

This convening included three informative presentations on FIM by:

 

• Sara Teppema, President, Alta Advisers/Chief Actuary, Wildflower Health
• Kim Prendergast, Vice President, Policy & Strategy, Community Care Cooperative (C3)
• Amanda Bank, Program Officer, Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS)

11.20.25 Slide Deck

 

September 2025

We’re sharing the edited recording and slides from the September 4th convening. As you may know, this convening experienced a “Zoom bomb” attack when unauthorized individuals joined and screenshared explicit content. The offensive material has been edited out; however, there are verbal references to the disruption. Again, we sincerely apologize for the inappropriate disruption and are taking action to prevent future attacks.

 

Also, we appreciate the positive feedback on the Food Is Medicine (FIM) presentations by:

 

• Elaine Borawski, Case Western Reserve Univ. School of Medicine
• Kristen McEnroe, Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation
• Cathryn Couch, Ceres Community Project
• Colby Schaeffer, Incline Actuarial Group

 

Since the convening, Colby Schaeffer has updated the slide titled “Pilot Results of FreshRx” to add clarity based on a breakout room question about the 28.5% BMI reduction and notes:

 

This was a 28.5% expected total cost of care (TCOC) reduction for those who had notable weight loss in the FreshRx cohort. Their weight/BMI loss was not 28.5% but rather 3.5%. Not everyone lost weight or had A1C improvement, so the expected medical savings were further reduced by accounting for effectiveness across the cohort. Due to the wide range in potential outcomes stemming from a small sample size, Incline focused on low-to-average effectiveness. Even with accounting for the program’s administrative expenses, this suggested net savings from FIM.

 

 

9.4.25 Slide Deck