Good Food Rx: Arkansas’ First Food Prescription Program Shows Lasting Impact

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A New Approach to Healthcare in Arkansas

In 2023, a groundbreaking step was taken toward addressing nutrition insecurity and diet-related illness in Arkansas through the Good Food Rx program—an innovative “food as medicine” initiative designed to transform healthcare outcomes at their root.

The Good Food Rx, launched by Well Fed in partnership with UAMS, was created with a clear mission: to impact the growing statistics of diet-related illness across the state. Since its induction in 2023, the program aimed to demonstrate—through patient health outcomes—that access to nutritious food, paired with education, could serve as a powerful form of treatment.

How the Program Was Conducted

The program’s first full cohort included 23 medical patients, each navigating chronic, diet-related conditions. Over the course of the year-long intervention, participants received approximately 40 pounds of fresh groceries on a consistent basis, totaling 7,819 pounds of healthy food distributed and impacting more than 4,100 meals. Alongside this access, participants were equipped with nutrition education tailored to their specific conditions, as well as regular medical check-ups to track their progress.

Results That Tell a Story

By March 2024, the one-year food intervention portion of the PRx research project had been completed. The results told a compelling story—not just in numbers, but in lives changed.

Participants reported measurable improvements in their health, many of which were confirmed through biometric data. One participant shared, “My A1C has moved from a 16 to a 10,” reflecting a significant shift in blood sugar management. Another noted an unexpected improvement, saying, “My eyeglasses prescription has changed. My doctor said he could not believe my vision has improved.”

Beyond clinical markers, the program had a profound effect on daily life and long-term habits. “This program has motivated me to eat healthier for myself and my family,” one participant explained. “If this program was around 20 years ago, I wouldn’t have gone through my health turmoils.” Others spoke to the accessibility and enjoyment of the program, with one adding, “The recipes are great, and the food selection is awesome! I have lost inches and a few pounds.”

These testimonies underscored what the Good Food Rx set out to prove: that food is medicine, and when used as a medical intervention, it has the power to change the trajectory of diet-related illness. By combining consistent access to healthy food with practical education and medical oversight, the program addressed both the symptoms and root causes of chronic illness.

Building Long-Term Change

In its second phase, participants continued to receive medical check-ups while applying the nutritional knowledge gained during the intervention. This phase focused on sustaining long-term behavior change and tracking continued biometric outcomes.

The significance of this program extended beyond its participants. In a state where many communities face limited access to fresh, nutritious food, the Good Food Rx offered a replicable model for integrating food-based interventions into healthcare systems. It demonstrated that when patients are equipped with the right resources, meaningful and measurable health improvements can follow.

The findings from this study have now been published, marking an important milestone for food-as-medicine initiatives in Arkansas. As healthcare systems continue to seek sustainable solutions to chronic disease, the success of the Good Food Rx is expected to inspire similar programs and research efforts across the state and beyond.

Because at its core, this program reaffirmed a simple but powerful truth: food is medicine—and access to it can change everything.

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