Bridging the gap between food and healthcare in San Francisco
The Food for Health Collective is a strategic partnership of six organizations dedicated to advancing nutrition security and health equity in San Francisco.
With generous funding from the Hellman Foundation, we are a five-year initiative (July 2023 – June 2028) committed to operationalizing and scaling Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition (MSF&N) interventions. Our work bridges the gap between healthcare and food systems, ensuring that healthy food is treated as a vital component of clinical care.
Member Organizations
Our Purpose
We envision a city where health equity is achieved through:
Integration: Embedding medically supportive food and nutrition services directly into primary care.
Permanent Funding: Securing sustainable, long-term funding for food-based services through Medi-Cal and other public insurance programs.
We are currently working to ensure that healthcare systems—especially Medi-Cal—recognize and pay for food as a prescribed intervention for patients managing chronic illnesses.
Our Goals for 2028
By the conclusion of this initiative, we are working to achieve the following:
Advance nutrition equity
Decrease chronic health disparities
Demonstrate the impact of medically supportive food and nutrition services to improve food security and health outcomes
Strengthen partnerships within the San Francisco medically supportive food and nutrition ecosystem
Advocate for these services to become a permanently covered MediCal benefit
Resources
Are you a SF-based healthcare provider looking to refer patients to Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition(MSFN) services?
Access the user guide and health plan forms below.
Referral User Guide
Referral Forms
Visit the MSF&N website to learn more.
The Food for Health Collective San Francisco is a partnership of six local organizations working together to make food access a fundamental part of the healthcare experience.