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2025 CHI - Community Health Conference & EXPO Main banner

Whole Person Health and Quality Improvement

CE Credit Available

CMB1 - Breaking Barriers: Advancing Health Through Food as Medicine

Monday, August 18, 2025
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM CT
Location: Crystal A (West Tower, Lobby Level)
Knowledge Level: Basic
Prerequisite: N/A
CPE: 1.2
CME: 1.0
CE: 0
CEU: 1.0
Session Description:Food is more than just sustenance—it is a powerful tool for health, healing, and disease prevention. Yet, millions of individuals, particularly those served by Community Health Centers (CHCs), face persistent food insecurity, directly impacting their well-being. Through a partnership with the global healthcare company Abbott, NACHC is examining the landscape of food insecurity and developed early State Insight Snapshots to explore the connection between food insecurity, malnutrition, and chronic disease outcomes. These insights align with three transformative model streams.

Food Access & Security – Addressing systemic barriers to food availability and affordability.

Food Is Medicine & Clinical Integration – Embedding nutrition-based interventions in clinical care to prevent and manage chronic diseases.

Nutritional & Lifestyle Approaches – Empowering individuals with culturally aligned cooking literacy, nutrition education, and self-management skills.

This session will unveil the State Insight Snapshots, bringing together experts from multiple Community Health Centers as well as NACHC leadership for a dynamic panel discussion on innovative, scalable solutions. With a focus on Food is Medicine, we will explore strategies to eliminate health access barriers, strengthen community ecosystems of care, and showcase real-world models driving impactful change.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the current limitations in data on food insecurity within CHCs and explore how quantitative and qualitative insights can empower health centers with actionable strategies to improve patient outcomes.
  • Learn about innovative, community-driven interventions that address food insecurity and malnutrition, and explore how these models can be adapted and scaled to enhance primary care services.
  • Explore how robust evidence and real-world data can inform smart approaches, drive funding opportunities, and strengthen the role of CHCs in advancing systemic change for food security and health access.