MetroPlus Health Plan

In a state as large as New York, a steady stream of smart, innovative work is coming from NYSHealth grantees and non-grantees alike that is relevant to NYSHealth’s priority areas of Building Healthy Communities and Empowering Health Care Consumers and its focus area on Veterans’ Health. These organizations should be elevating their work and informing key stakeholders at regional, statewide, and national conferences, meetings, and other convenings. Yet, because of a lack of resources, they are often unable to do so. To address this issue, NYSHealth is awarding grants through its Sponsoring Conference Participation in Support of Healthy Communities, Consumer Empowerment, and Veterans’ Health Request for Proposals (RFP). Through this RFP, NYSHealth is sponsoring low-resource organizations to attend and present at local, State, and national conferences related to these areas. In 2019, NYSHealth awarded MetroPlus Health Plan (MPHP) a grant to participate in this initiative as part of its efforts to build healthier communities.

Under this grant, MPHP will send one employee to attend the Closing the Hunger Gap Conference. This conference addresses how systematic inequities, such as health disparities and food scarcity, are directly related to the health of communities. Attendees will learn about best practices for incorporating food security screening, resources, and follow-up into routine patient care. In addition, they will learn strategies for sustainable collaborations among community-based organizations, patients, and health care providers through workshops on nutrition, disease management, and mindfulness. By attending this event, MPHP will gain valuable knowledge to help it better implement its novel food prescription program, Get F.R.E.S.H. (Food, Resources, Education, Support, Healthy).

View a complete list of conference participation grantees.