Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill
On the second day of the National Produce Prescription Collaborative Convening and Day of Action, we hosted a congressional briefing to educate elected officials and staffers about the produce prescription model and its utilization in a variety of settings across the country. Policymakers and their staff had the opportunity to learn and ask questions during a briefing to better understand the work.
The photos below were taken by Chef Michel and give an idea of the interest for this subject in Congress. Our panel of experts shared powerful stories about their programs’ successes as well as their hopes for future for integrating PRx into standard healthcare practice. Briefing presenter fielded questions such as, “How do participants get to choose the food that they want to eat?” (They use prescription dollars at their local retailers.) and “How do we know that PRx food intervention doesn’t become just another government handout?” (Answer: The same way we know that insulin isn’t just another government handout for a diabetic patient on Medicaid.) The questions were thoughtful and offered clarity on the important issues that Members of Congress must grapple with every day.
The Wholesome Wave team was proud coordinate this opportunity and we are deeply grateful for our witnesses that made the trip to DC for this important briefing which followed immediately behind the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.
NPPC Day of Action Briefing presenters:
Mollie Van Lieu, Vice President Nutrition and Health, International Fresh Produce Association
Hilary Seligman, MD, MAS, Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California
Will Sellers, Executive Director, Wholesome Wave Georgia
Sarah Moore, Director of Operations, Wholesome Wave Georgia
Sam Hoeffler, Program Manager, Reinvestment Partners
Cissie Bonini, Executive Director, Vouchers 4 Veggies at UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations
Thank you to all the Members and their staff who attended.
And a special thank you to Representative Dr. Kim Schrier (WA-08) for hosting the NPPC Day of Action Briefing
