Early Childhood Nutrition & Breastfeeding

The Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability has launched the Food is Medicine Program, a new funding opportunity for evidence-based initiatives that integrate nutrition into healthcare by addressing food insecurity and chronic disease through medically tailored interventions and community partnerships.

“Rural healthcare looks different in every community, which is why these funding opportunities are designed to empower local leaders and providers to develop solutions that meet their unique needs,” said Julie Foster Hagan, Executive Director of the Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability. “Whether it’s creating stronger provider partnerships, advancing value-based care, addressing food as medicine, or bringing communities together around a shared vision, these programs are about building sustainable systems that improve health outcomes for generations to come.”

This initiative supports programs that connect patients to healthy, predominantly unprocessed and whole foods through clinician referrals, provide nutrition education and meal planning support, and help prevent and manage chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and obesity.

Our goal is simple: improve health outcomes by making nutrition a meaningful part of care, while strengthening the local organizations and food systems that serve rural Louisiana. Applications are open through August 14, 2026. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ehh_4Ts7

Thank you Surgeon General Dr. Evelyn Griffin, Dr. Kathleen Willis, Jordan Losavio, PhD, Elizabeth Touchet-Morgan and everyone else who contributed to the design of this program!

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Hi Virtual Community!

Our team is interested in learning more about your programmatic work related to chronic disease prevention via nutrition, or food is/as medicine programs.

Please email tmoore@naccho.org if you have a program at your LHD, or partner with a Food is Medicine program in your county.