Major Health System Teams with Instacart to Promote ‘Food as Health’

Northwell Health, the largest health system in New York State, will partner with Instacart Health to expand access to nutritious food, beginning with a focus on moms-to-be in communities that have long-standing disparities in maternal care.

The first program to launch will integrate Instacart Health tools into Northwell’s Center for Maternal Health Maternal Outcomes and Morbidity Collaborative (MOMS), targeting people who are food insecure as well as the maternal health of Black and Brown women.

Using Northwell’s Healthy Choices Storefront on Instacart, Northwell patients can use Instacart Health Fresh Funds — category-specific online grocery stipends — to purchase items like fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh and frozen seafood and several yogurt varieties. Additionally, Northwell is providing moms-to-be with nutrition guidance and support during their pregnancies.

“Raising health is more than the care Northwell provides in our hospitals and doctors’ offices,” said Debbie Salas-Lopez, MD, MPH and SVP of Northwell’s Office of Community Wellness and Population Health in a statement. “It’s also about how we raise up the people in our communities and how we raise our expectations of what health can be, which is why Northwell contributes more than $2 billion in community benefit annually. The collaboration with Instacart is part of our comprehensive community health effort and will provide tools and resources to access nutritious foods for our staff, patients and communities.”

Instacart Health debuted in March 2023 with the goal of scaling “Food as Medicine,” and in September 2023 the company expanded its Good Food for All program to an additional four cities, providing $50 per month in produce credits that shoppers can use in-store or online through Instacart Health Fresh Funds.