HealthPartners finds success in fresh produce delivery through FarmboxRx

BLOOMINGTON, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HealthPartners delivered more than 570,000 pounds of fresh produce to senior Minnesotans last year through its partnership with FarmboxRx. The health system introduced the benefit in January 2022 to its Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) (HMO SNP) members.

Since then, 2,500 eligible members have used the benefit to receive two free boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to their homes each month.

“Forty percent of our eligible MSHO members currently receive this benefit, making it one of our most popular MSHO supplemental benefits,” said Jennifer Clelland, HealthPartners vice president of government programs. “This partnership has removed barriers to accessing nutritious foods, which further strengthens our commitment to supporting the health and well-being of our members.”

Each seasonal produce box includes nutritional health literacy, recipes and information on health checkups. MSHO members can select specific box types such as mixed produce or all fruit and also choose from a variety of culturally relevant boxes. In 2022 alone, 38,617 boxes were delivered to eligible members.

“Most of these individuals are faced with a series of challenges that prohibit them from accessing healthy foods,” said Ashley Tyner CEO and founder of FarmboxRx. “I applaud HealthPartners for prioritizing their members’ health by delivering food as medicine.”

MSHO is a program for members age 65 and older who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare Parts A and B. HealthPartners introduced FarmboxRx to MSHO members as part of an ongoing effort to address social and community factors that impact overall health, including food insecurity.

About HealthPartners

HealthPartners is the largest consumer-governed, non-profit health care organization in the nation with a mission to improve health and well-being in partnership with members, patients and the community. For more information, visit healthpartners.com.

About FarmboxRx

Since 2019, FarmboxRx has been disrupting the health care world. As an extension of the Farmbox Direct mission, FarmboxRx delivers Food as Medicine to America's most at-risk populations through Medicaid and Medicare programs. FarmboxRx is a first-of-its-kind social determinants (SDoH) of health program that makes healthy eating possible for at-risk populations, free-of-charge, through health insurance initiatives. FarmboxRx was launched to combat barriers to members' most prominent health-related social need – food; and make healthy eating accessible to all. FarmboxRx is now partnered with 50+ national health plans and is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. For more information, visit FarmboxRx.com.

HealthPartners is a health plan that contracts with both Medicare and the Minnesota Medical Assistance (Medicaid) program to provide benefits of both programs to enrollees. Enrollment in HealthPartners depends on contract renewal.

H2422_003505 Accepted 07/08/23