Fresenius Kidney Care Reunites with Food Is Medicine Coalition on Mission to Expand Access to Medically Tailored Meals
Fresenius Kidney Care Funds National Accreditation and
March is National Kidney Month, when kidney health advocates such as Fresenius Kidney Care raise awareness about the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Of the estimated 37 million American adults who are managing a diagnosis, 9 in 10 individuals don't know they have it1. When left undetected, kidney disease can progress in five stages and may eventually lead to end stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, at which point, available treatment options include kidney transplant or dialysis. Education, early detection, and nutrition are key to countering this "silent disease", though for those managing kidney failure on dialysis, having a diet catered to individual needs is critical. Research indicates that for individuals living with severe illness, MTMs can improve health outcomes, lower cost of care and increase quality of life.
"For people living with chronic kidney disease, a healthy diet and exercise is key to maintaining kidney function and preventing progression to kidney failure, but limited access to healthy foods or knowledge of how to manage a complex diagnosis can prevent individuals from pursuing a nutritious diet," said
FIMC agencies provide patients living with complex illnesses such as kidney failure and those managing treatment on dialysis the opportunity to work with a registered dietitian nutritionist to build a meal plan specifically designed for their health needs. These scientifically developed meals also account for additional complications that come with an individual's diagnosis, including treatment side effects and comorbidities. With a referral from a medical professional or healthcare plan, individuals can have pre-made meals delivered directly to their home.
Fresenius Kidney Care's donation extends its longstanding partnership with FIMC by helping to fund a fourth cohort – or group – of nonprofit food providers that will be trained to become medically tailored meal providers through the FIMC Accelerator Program, as well as supporting the launch of an Accreditation Program to further codify the medically tailored meal model and nutritional standards. This builds upon the initial donation from Fresenius Kidney Care in 2020, which funded FIMC's inaugural Accelerator Program and supported the operational needs of MTM agency partners facing an explosive demand for medically tailored home-delivered meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We know that high-quality, nutrient-dense food is vital to the treatment and management of diseases. This funding is critical to accelerating our work in communities to refine, replicate and broadly scale the medically tailored meal model to ensure that people coping with kidney disease and other chronic illnesses have access to medically tailored meals, regardless of where they reside," said
Investment, awareness, and demand for increased funding of MTM programs across the scientific community has grown quickly. In
The need for more equitable access to healthy food options for patients living with chronic kidney disease is critical. With support from Fresenius Kidney Care, FIMC is poised to further drive broader access to medically tailored meals across the country by leveraging this widespread momentum for "food is medicine" interventions.
Learn more about National Kidney Month at https://fmcna.com/patient-care/kidney-care/national-kidney-month/.
References
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Chronic Kidney Disease inthe United States , 2021.Atlanta, GA :US Department of Health and Human Services ,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; 2021.
About Fresenius Kidney Care
Fresenius Kidney Care, a division of
About the Food is Medicine Coalition
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