American multinational medical devices and health care company Abbott (NYSE: ABT) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) announced on Monday a multi-year 'food is medicine' effort, called the NACHC and Abbott Food for Health Initiative, aimed at making healthy, nutritious food a core part of primary healthcare at Community Health Centers (CHCs) across the US.

The NACHC-Abbott partnership will include a national certification program designed to help CHCs develop the systems and capacity to advance food for health, along with structured learning, training and knowledge-sharing for CHC staff to build capabilities and expertise in addressing immediate nutrition needs, integrating nutrition into healthcare delivery, and preventing and managing nutrition-related chronic diseases.

The framework is made up of three key components: Food for Health Learning Lab, a structured learning program designed to build nutrition literacy and expertise across the CHC workforce, and guide health centres in implementing and measuring food is medicine efforts; Food for Health Community of Practice, a national peer-learning network that will connect health centres to share promising practices, troubleshoot challenges and learn from top experts; Food for Health CORE (Certification of Readiness and Excellence), a voluntary national certification program that will recognize and support CHCs in developing the systems, processes and competencies needed to advance food for health efforts.

The NACHC and Abbott Food for Health Initiative is a signature program of NACHC's Center for Nutrition and Health, bringing together public and private partners, CHCs, and other stakeholders. The centre's broader goal is to serve as an innovation hub dedicated to moving food-based clinical care from separate efforts to a coordinated body of programs and policy initiatives that improve health outcomes.