Yale public-health students and clinicians urge hospitals to include medically tailored nutrition in community health needs assessments
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Summary
A Yale School of Public Health student and community volunteers told the committee that mandating identification of medically tailored nutrition for patients with diabetes and heart failure in community health needs assessments could reduce hospitalizations and lower costs. They cited peer-reviewed and modeled savings evidence and urged equitable, statewide adoption.
Elizabeth Caldwell, a graduate student at the Yale School of Public Health, testified that community health needs assessments should identify and address the nutritional needs of patients with diabetes and heart failure and that medically tailored meals function as clinical interventions.
Caldwell cited published research: a 2019 peer-reviewed study she referenced showed a 49% reduction in inpatient admissions and a 16% reduction in overall health-care costs among patients receiving medically tailored meals; she also cited a 2025 projection estimating substantial national reductions in hospitalizations and health expenditures and an estimated per-patient net savings figure for Connecticut. "When we send patients home with new prescriptions but without access to medically appropriate food, we're delivering incomplete care," Caldwell said.
Committee members asked about hospital capacity and costs. Caldwell acknowledged hospital concerns and framed the proposal as an equity measure to ensure that nutrition-related clinical recommendations are actionable for patients across ZIP codes. The hearing record shows support from clinical and student voices; committee members requested further distributional and implementation details from hospitals and other stakeholders.
