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Same-day delivery service Shipt today announced new initiatives to address food insecurity, including a new partnership with the Healthy Behavior Optimization for Michigan (HBOM) program, MCT2D, and MSHIELD, all part of the Michigan CQI network, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Value Partnerships program.
Shipt CEO Kamau Witherspoon announced the company’s efforts to improve access to fresh foods through public-private partnerships with the Healthy Behavior Optimization for Michigan program at the 2022 White House Conference for Hunger, Nutrition and Health.
The convening, which hasn’t taken place in more than 50 years, comes at a time when millions of Americans are facing food insecurity and diet-related diseases. At the conference, Witherspoon will explain the several new efforts the company is undertaking to increase access to affordable food options in underserved communities. One of these commitments includes partnership for our Healthy Eating Jumpstart Program, a grocery delivery pilot program that is currently enrolling patients from across MCT2D's network of member primary care practices who have type 2 diabetes and who face socioeconomic barriers to adopting a low carb lifestyle.
The JUMPSTART Program offers three months of home grocery delivery, with a $240 healthy choice stipend for purchasing lower carb groceries. The Shipt.com credits and services are paired with a low carb lifestyle curriculum developed by clinical experts and patient advisors at MCT2D. The goal of the pilot is to make healthy eating patterns an easier choice for patients who are low income and food insecure.
“Shipt is delivering for the communities we serve by expanding access to healthy foods to those who need it most,” said Shipt CEO Witherspoon. “These new initiatives are an essential part of our ongoing commitment to put people first and make a meaningful impact in parts of our country that have been left out or left behind.”
The recently announced partnership builds on joint efforts from a 2019 pilot program, also led by HBOM’s Program Director Tammy Chang, MD, MPH, MS, which successfully looked at the dietary impact of delivering healthy groceries to pregnant young women with low incomes.
“Grocery delivery is a game-changing tool because it can change what foods are readily available in patients’ homes, making it easier for them to eat healthily,” said Chang. “This convenience and increased access to healthy foods can help patients jumpstart new habits to treat their conditions and feel better immediately.”Tammy Chang, MD, MPH, MS, Program Director, Healthy Behavior Optimization for Michigan (HBOM)
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Support for The Michigan Collaborative for Type 2 Diabetes (MCT2D) is provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as part of the BCBSM Value Partnerships program.
Although Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and MCT2D work collaboratively, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of BCBSM or any of its employees.