A few months ago, Jean was hospitalized with a medical emergency that nearly claimed her life. As she was being discharged, her care manager recognized that she needed more nutritional support to regain her health and stay out of the hospital. Because Jean was a Medicaid Managed Care member, she was able to enroll her in the Healthy Opportunities Pilot and give her a referral for weekly healthy food boxes.
Although HOP encourages client choice, Jean was too weak to make any requests at first. So Bounty and Soul, her HOP service provider, filled her box with a mix of familiar, unfamiliar, and healthier versions of favorite foods. Jean was delighted to discover how delicious unsalted sunflower seeds are, and this snack aligned perfectly with her doctor’s orders to reduce her salt intake. In the coming weeks, Jean became more adventurous with her food choices and recipes.
Recently, Jean reached out to Bounty and Soul to let them know she had extra bread and eggs she’d like to donate to another family. When they asked what she’d like in her next food box instead, she requested “more quinoa, please!” It turns out, Jean hadn’t tried this whole grain before and only tried it because it was included in a weekly box. She discovered she liked quinoa and was eager to experiment with additional ways to prepare it.
Best of all, Jean has regained much of her strength and hasn’t had to go to the emergency department since she started eating more healthy, low-sodium foods.
