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Clinic nurse practitioner tells Senate committee how a "food pharmacy" supports patients with chronic disease
Summary
Moren Borman of Little Rivers Healthcare described a clinic food pharmacy that distributes tens of thousands of pounds of fresh food annually to help treat diet‑responsive chronic disease; Primary Care Association leaders said they are seeking sustainable payment models to scale similar programs.
Moren Borman, a family nurse practitioner at Little Rivers Healthcare, told the Senate Health and Welfare committee about her clinic’s food pharmacy, which began in 2020 and now distributes thousands of pounds of fresh food to patients each year.
Borman said the program received about 30,000 pounds of donated produce annually from local gleaning groups and about 7,000–8,000 pounds from the Vermont Food Bank. In 2024 and 2025 the program distributed 180 CSA shares, providing 15 families with weekly CSA deliveries over 12 weeks. Borman said the clinic’s food pharmacy serves roughly 100 patients on a rotating schedule and targets people who are food insecure and have at least one diet‑responsive chronic condition, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Mary Kay Mullman of the Primary Care Association described the food‑is‑medicine task force that brings together providers, advocacy groups and the American Heart Association to explore sustainable payment approaches. Mullman said many clinic food‑pharmacy programs run on grant funding and that the task force plans to examine Medicaid options, waiver approaches and links to primary care payment reform to sustain and expand services for uninsured and underinsured patients.
Committee members thanked the presenters and indicated interest in continuing the conversation and exploring how food‑as‑medicine programs might fit into broader state health and housing initiatives.
Ending: Presenters offered follow‑up materials and samples and the committee signaled further engagement on payment and program design in future sessions.
