ALL IN Recipe4Health

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Launched on January 27, 2020 by an innovative anti-poverty initiative founded by County Supervisor Wilma Chan, ALL IN Recipe4Health (R4H) is shifting the way Alameda County practices medicine. R4H combines healthy food interventions with group medical visits to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic diseases while addressing food insecurity and social isolation. Patients are prescribed 16 weeks of produce to be filled at a “Food Farmacy” by Dig Deep Farms, an urban farm utilizing regenerative practices to grow nutrient-dense food. During the pandemic, these prescriptions have been delivered to doorsteps by individuals who are part of Dig Deep’s innovative re-entry program for the formerly incarcerated. Group medical visits bring together patients through weekly visits that include physical activity, healthy food, social connection, and stress reduction. Provided by Open Source Wellness, behavioral group support is currently delivered virtually and occurs weekly over the course of four months. This “Behavioral Pharmacy” is designed to help patients adopt healthy practices to maximize the benefits of this medical intervention. The results show that R4H is transforming medical care in Alameda County: patients have experienced decreases in A1C levels, blood pressure, depression and medication usage, as well as fewer ER visits and hospitalizations.