NourishedRx Enters into Strategic Partnership with Alliance Health to Support Members Enrolled in Transitions to Community Living (TCL) Program

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Mar 19, 2024, 07:00 ET

The innovative food-as-medicine platform will help support eligible North Carolinians with serious mental health needs transitioning from institutional care settings to independent living.

STAMFORD, Conn., March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliance Health, a North Carolina-based behavioral health care services managed care company, announced today that it has entered into a strategic partnership with NourishedRx, a digital health and nutrition company based in Stamford, Connecticut, to support eligible members enrolled in North Carolina's Transitions to Community Living (TCL) program. The new partnership will enable Alliance Health to better serve TCL program members transitioning from institutional care settings into community living by providing them with nutritious home-delivered food and associated nutritional support services.

"Access to quality food and nutrition is an indispensable component of well-being and has a measurable impact on physical and mental health, including loneliness and depression," said Lauren Driscoll, NourishedRx Founder and CEO. "When combined with coaching, education, and social support, such services catalyze confidence in self-care and self-efficacy that is foundational to successful independent living."

The TCL program supports eligible North Carolina adults living with serious mental illness who chose to live outside institutional care settings. Eligible members may have mental health disorders, substance abuse disorders, intellectual/developmental disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries. The TCL program combines affordable housing with intensive, coordinated services, including case management, peer support, and community integration support, to help program participants live and thrive in their communities. Currently, Alliance Health supports over 1,000 households through the TCL program.

The partnership's goals are to positively impact tenancy and independent living, improve participants' nutrition security, support health equity, and improve self-reported health outcomes.

"In NourishedRx, we've identified a partner with a proven track record of working successfully with vulnerable populations at scale, and a team and platform that can deliver the results we want to see in this innovative program," said Ann Oshel, SVP of Community Health and Well Being, of Alliance Health. "We're excited to engage with NourishedRx in our effort to improve the health and lives of North Carolinians in need of these services."

About Alliance Health

Alliance Health is the managed care organization for publicly funded behavioral health care services for the people of Cumberland, Durham, Johnston, Harnett, Orange, and Wake counties in central North Carolina as well as Mecklenburg County. Currently, Alliance works with a network of over 4,000 private providers to serve the needs of almost 190,000 Medicaid-eligible and state-funded individuals among a population of over 3.5M.

On July 1, 2024, Alliance will begin operating as a Tailored Plan as part of North Carolina's Medicaid transformation. In that role, Alliance will manage all the health care needs – physical, behavioral, and pharmaceutical – for individuals with severe mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or long-term care needs, including intellectual/developmental disability and traumatic brain injury.

About NourishedRx

NourishedRx is on a mission to eradicate poor diet and nutrition insecurity as top drivers of death, disease, and disparities. Founded in 2019, NourishedRx is a digital health and nutrition company that helps people live healthier lives and supports health equity. Leveraging the connective power of food, NourishedRx partners with healthcare organizations to nourish their most vulnerable members, build health relationships, and support lasting dietary behavior change. Visit www.nourishedrx.com

Media Contact:

Cathy Giandurco
[email protected]

SOURCE NourishedRx