HealthPartners delivered more than 570,000 pounds of fresh produce to senior Minnesotans last year through its partnership with FarmboxRx. The health system introduced the benefit in January 2022 to its Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) (HMO SNP) members.

Since then, 2,500 eligible members have used the Medicare grocery benefit to receive two free boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to their homes each month.

“Forty percent of our eligible MSHO members currently receive this benefit, making it one of our most popular MSHO supplemental benefits,” said Jennifer Clelland, HealthPartners vice president of government programs. “This partnership has removed barriers to accessing nutritious foods, which further strengthens our commitment to supporting the health and well-being of our members.”

Each seasonal produce box includes nutritional health literacy, recipes and information on health checkups. MSHO members can select specific box types such as mixed produce or all fruit and also choose from a variety of culturally relevant boxes. In 2022 alone, 38,617 boxes were delivered to eligible members.

“Most of these individuals are faced with a series of challenges that prohibit them from accessing healthy foods,” said Ashley Tyrner CEO and founder of FarmboxRx. “I applaud HealthPartners for prioritizing their members’ health by delivering food as medicine.”