The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) is a national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals (MTMs) and groceries (MTGs), medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe and chronic illnesses. We advance equitable access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research and evaluation, and best practices. FIMC agencies created the medically tailored meal model and maintain the nutrition standards for the intervention. FIMC offers a diverse community of learning for existing practitioners and equips new organizations to launch medically tailored meal programs.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Moveable Feast Achieves FIMC Accreditation, Setting the Standard for Medically Tailored Meal Intervention in Maryland
Baltimore, MD, January 21, 2025 – Moveable Feast, a leading nonprofit organization in Baltimore, MD has earned accreditation from the Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC). This accreditation marks the implementation of the FIMC Medically Tailored Meal Intervention Accreditation Criteria and Requirements (FIMC MTM ACR), setting a standard for agencies delivering medically tailored meal (MTM) interventions.
Medically tailored meals are delivered to individuals living with severe, complex and/or chronic illnesses through a referral from a medical professional or healthcare plan. MTMs are tailored to the recipient’s medical needs by a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), designed to improve health outcomes, lower cost of care, and increase patient satisfaction.
With a growing national food is medicine movement, the FIMC MTM ACR is a groundbreaking standard designed to ensure the highest quality of care for individuals living with life-challenging illnesses like cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and kidney failure. FIMC Accreditation provides guidelines for agencies delivering MTM interventions, establishing consistency and standards in the food is medicine field. Moveable Feast’s accreditation highlights its unwavering commitment to providing top-tier, quality nutrition services to thousands of adults and children in Maryland.
The FIMC MTM ACR was developed through a collaborative process involving nationwide partner agency staff with decades of experience in MTM service provision, along with leaders in standards development – SCS Standards. This rigorous process resulted in standards that ensure all FIMC-Accredited agencies provide the same level of high-quality service, tailored to meet the diverse nutritional needs of their clients.
“We congratulate Moveable Feast on this remarkable achievement,” said Alissa Wassung, Executive Director of FIMC. “Their accreditation demonstrates leadership and commitment to advancing the food is medicine movement and ensuring equitable access to lifesaving interventions for those who need them most.”
FIMC Accreditation is a testament to an organization’s commitment to excellence in MTM provision, providing rigorous quality to clients, healthcare partners, policymakers, and the community at large. FIMC Accreditation sets a precedent for agencies across the country to aspire to, promoting consistent, high-quality medically tailored meals and nutrition therapy for individuals with severe, complex, and/or chronic illnesses. The key benchmarks of accreditation include regular assessment and reassessment of clients’ nutrition needs, implementation of nutrition risk screening policies, timely delivery of meals, access to medical nutrition therapy, adherence to quality improvement programs, customization of meal plans for various medical conditions, strict adherence to food safety protocols, inclusion of volunteer services, and compliance with HIPAA regulations to ensure client privacy.
“Moveable Feast is now amongst only 10 accredited medically tailored meal agencies across the U.S. I am incredibly proud of our team for navigating this process and the work they do each day to help us fulfill our mission.” -Sue Elias, Chief Executive Officer, Moveable Feast
For more information about FIMC Accreditation and the FIMC Accreditation Program, visit fimcoalition.org.
About Moveable Feast: Moveable Feast was founded in 1989 by a group of volunteers delivering home-cooked meals to those living with HIV and AIDS in Baltimore City. The Home Delivered Meals Program was made to not only feed people who were homebound and unable to feed themselves, but also to help break the stigma of the AIDS epidemic and give clients the comfort of knowing they were cared for. In the past 30 years, as medical treatment for HIV has dramatically improved, the average age of clients continued to increase. Staff saw a need for healthy food among those living with co-morbid conditions or other critical illnesses (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, renal insufficiency, and those in hospice), so eligibility requirements were expanded. With the guidance of our Registered Dietitians, Moveable Feast has improved the quality of our meals, which are now considered medically tailored and heart-healthy. Clients are matched with the menu type that best compliments their medical treatment and health goals. We began serving the Eastern Shore in 2001, and in 2023, Moveable Feast delivered medically tailored meals to 1,973 people in Maryland.
Moveable Feast provides Home-Delivered Medically Tailored Meals and Medical Nutrition Therapy to clients living in Baltimore City and the following counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester.
About Food is Medicine Coalition: The Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC) is a national coalition of nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing medically tailored meals, groceries, and nutrition support to individuals living with severe and chronic illnesses. FIMC advances equitable access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research, and best practices. Visit fimcoalition.org for more information.
Media Contact:
Bridget Dohony
Communications Manager
Email: bdohony@mfeast.org
Phone: (443) 576-2681
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