Work in Action

UTHealth Houston Partners with Brighter Bites to Evaluate Produce Prescription Strategy

As part of the White House commitment to Hunger, Nutrition and Health, UTHealth Houston and Brighter Bites non-profit organization, are partnering together to implement and evaluate the impact of a comprehensive produce prescription strategy consisting of access to fresh produce plus nutrition education for implementation among food-insecure children and their families through school-based health centers. There are more than 3,200 school-based health centers across 48 U.S. states with over 7 million children receiving primary care at these clinics. The initiative will start in Texas with partners such as Legacy Community Health, the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Texas. With the national footprint of Brighter Bites, the produce prescription approach will be scaled so that it is available for implementation across school-based health centers nationwide.

Brighter Bites is a national nonprofit with a mission to create communities of health through fresh food. Brighter Bites uses a simple, three-part formula: Produce Distribution + Nutrition Education + Fun Food Experience. The national program provides regular access to a variety of fresh produce along with nutrition education exposure and healthy tips and tools to families in under-resourced communities across the country. When participating in the program, studies show the Brighter Bites families indicate a significant increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed, a significant decrease in the amount of added sugars consumed among children, and an increase in cooking and nutrition label knowledge. And these habits have shown to stick! https://brighterbites.org/research/

Brighter Bites partners with UTHealth Houston to collect data to inform program, policy, and advocacy.

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More Work in Action

Children may be the Key to Healthy Families

In the 1970s, it was children who spearheaded the movement to get their moms and dads to wear seat belts, a movement that has since become law in all 50 states and saved countless lives. Fifty years later, children remain powerful influencers within their families, however today children are spearheading a movement to become “Naturally Well.”

The Georgia Hunger and Health Summit: Designing for Our Future

On October 28 - 29, 2024, the CDC Foundation and nine of Georgia’s leading health, food security and economic development organizations –with funding from the Georgia Health initiative -- convened The Georgia Hunger and Health Summit: Designing for Our Future, in Atlanta, Georgia. The summit convened top experts and key stakeholders to foster collaboration, forge new partnerships and spark innovative solutions to hunger-related challenges, marking a significant milestone in the enduring efforts to address food and nutrition insecurity through the Hunger, Nutrition and Health Action Collaborative. Designed in partnership with Leslie Marshburn, Grady Health System | Melissa Haberlen DeWolf, Voices for Georgia’s Children | Matt Pieper, Open Hand Atlanta | Will Sellers, Wholesome Wave Georgia | Bill Green, The Common Market | Wande Okonoren-Meadows, Hand,Heart, + Soul Project | Sarah Phillips, Georgia Health Initiative | Jeff Collins-Smythe, ARCHI | and Kyle Waide, Atlanta Community Food Bank.