Simply Healthcare Plans Donates $100,000 to Support Healthy Feeding Initiatives Using Innovative Research
Tallahassee, FL – Simply Healthcare Plans (“Simply”) and Feeding Florida today announced the launch of a partnership to increase food access across high-risk Florida communities by leveraging extensive research to target areas of greatest need.
Simply donated $100,000 to Feeding Florida, Florida’s only statewide food bank network, serving all 67 counties every day of the year. The funds are allocated to three of the network’s food bank-led “Food is Medicine” programs, with a focus on several of Florida’s Medicaid regions, including Bay County, Polk County and Miami-Dade County. Simply will work closely with three of Feeding Florida’s food banks – Feeding South Florida, Feeding Tampa Bay and Feeding the Gulf Coast.
“We are proud to support our partners at Feeding Florida to ensure our most vulnerable Floridians have access to the food and nutrition necessary for their health and wellbeing,” said Holly Prince, President of Simply Healthcare. “Food insecurity has significant detrimental effects on health, especially in children, and can leave devastating, long-lasting impacts across communities. Our contribution to Feeding Florida reflects Simply’s mission to improve lives and communities, as well as our commitment to supporting strategic, innovative opportunities to address health needs across Florida communities.”
Simply and Feeding Florida targeted three Medicaid regions using Feeding Florida’s Meal Deficit Metric, a new body of research that identifies hunger at a hyper-local level. Cross-referencing Simply’s service initiatives and the Meal Deficit Metric allowed the teams to implement strategic placement of interventions that will increase access to both healthy nutritious food and education opportunities within communities.
Feeding South Florida: Simply is funding six Mobile FARMacy distributions to increase access to nutritious food, reduce geographical and affordability barriers, and address social isolation by providing a dignified “shopping” experience through a choice model. These one-aisle, mobile grocery stores are a hybrid of donated items, farmers’ market for-sale items, an educational unit, and operate under the idea that food is medicine, providing prescription produce and other healthy food options.
Feeding Tampa Bay: Feeding Tampa Bay’s program leverages an existing Food Pharmacy partnership where partner agencies in the area will provide routine access to a variety of shelf stable foods to augment the food provided to clients already in their care. Funding will support up to 200 households monthly through at least March of 2022.
Feeding the Gulf Coast: Feeding the Gulf Coast will partner with community organizations to administer 32 mobile pantries, providing a minimum of 160,000 pounds of food to those in need. These pantries will provide over 133,000 meals to at least 3,200 families.
“Feeding Florida is excited to have Simply as a partner in our effort to provide healthy and nutritious food options to people who need it most,” said Robin Safley, Executive Director of Feeding Florida. “This partnership is supporting programs that will directly address the nutritional needs of Floridians who are disproportionately affected by chronic health conditions. We know that healthy food can have a lasting health impact and look forward to seeing how our continued partnership can use this data to best serve families and individuals in need.”
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About Feeding Florida
Feeding Florida is the state's leading organization in the fight to end hunger. The statewide network unites 12-member Feeding America food banks to provide a healthy, adequate, and consistent food supply to every community every day. Feeding Florida member food banks support the state's 67 counties with more than 2,400 local charitable agencies. Feeding Florida’s member food banks include: All Faiths Food Bank, Bread of the Mighty, Feeding Northeast Florida, Feeding South Florida, Feeding Tampa Bay, Feeding the Gulf Coast, First Step Food Bank, Florida Gateway Food Bank, Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, and Treasure Coast Food Bank.
About Simply Healthcare
Simply Healthcare is a Managed Care Plan that offers plans in Florida for residents eligible for Medicaid, Medicare and Florida Healthy Kids benefits. To learn more, visit www.SimplyHealthcarePlans.com.