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Health Plan Seeks to Address Food Insecurity and Enhance Positive Health Outcomes 

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY, October 7, 2021– Fidelis Care announced today a partnership with God’s Love We Deliver, the New York City metropolitan area’s leading provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling for people living with severe illness. Select clinical partners and primary care providers will refer eligible Fidelis Care members with chronic health conditions to receive home-delivered meals from God’s Love We Deliver free of cost, regardless of income. 

The partnership with God’s Love We Deliver expands Fidelis Care’s focus on the social determinants of health by helping to alleviate food insecurity and providing individually tailored meals for Fidelis Care members with chronic conditions who may not be able to provide or prepare nutritious meals for themselves. In addition to meals, eligible Fidelis Care members will also receive nutrition education and counseling from a God’s Love We Deliver Registered Dietician Nutritionist. 

“Our collaboration with God’s Love We Deliver reinforces Fidelis Care’s commitment to support members with the vital care and resources they need,” said Dr. Vincent Marchello, Chief Medical Officer. “As a health plan, we know how important food and nutrition are in helping our members with chronic disease live healthy lives. Through the partnership with God’s Love We Deliver, Fidelis Care will be providing much-needed relief to those most in need.”

“It is an honor to provide high quality nutrition and medically tailored meals to Fidelis members,” said Karen Pearl, President & CEO of God’s Love We Deliver. “Through our program, Fidelis Care members can improve their health and well-being, and increase their chances of staying out of the hospital and in their homes where they are most comfortable. We thank Fidelis Care for this important partnership.”

All meal deliveries will be contactless and available within all five New York City boroughs and outlying areas. Medical providers will assess health conditions to determine program eligibility, which may include:

• Severe Heart Disease
• Severe Diabetes
• Congestive Heart Failure
• COPD
• Chronic kidney disease
• Cancer
• Dementia
• HIV

According to a statistical brief published by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, malnourished patients have healthcare costs that are three times higher and inpatient hospital stays that are three times longer than members who are nourished. Medically tailored meals are a low-cost, high-impact way to improve members’ nutrition and have been proven to decrease healthcare costs, decrease length of inpatient hospital stays, and increase quality of life for recipients. 

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About Fidelis Care:
Fidelis Care is a mission-driven health plan offering quality, affordable coverage for children and adults of all ages and at all stages of life. With more than 2.3 million members statewide, Fidelis Care believes that all New Yorkers should have access to affordable, quality health insurance.  Follow us on Twitter at @fideliscare, Instagram at @fideliscare, and on Facebook at facebook.com/fideliscare. For more information, call Fidelis Care at 1-888-FIDELIS (1-888-343-3547) or visit fideliscare.org. 

About God’s Love We Deliver

God’s Love We Deliver cooks and home-delivers nutritious, medically tailored meals for people too sick to shop or cook for themselves. Founded in 1985 as a response to the AIDS pandemic, we now serve people living with more than 200 different diagnoses. To support the health and well-being of our clients, we provide ongoing nutrition assessment, education, and counseling, and advocate for food and nutrition support. God’s Love is a non-sectarian organization serving individuals living with illness, and their children and caregivers. With a community of thousands of volunteers, we home-delivered more than 2.5 million medically tailored meals to nearly 10,000 individuals last year. All services are free to clients and full of love. For more information, visit godslovewedeliver.org. Follow God’s Love on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram