FOOD AS MEDICINE: Spartan Medical Answers the Call to Help Veterans Eat Healthier Aligned with the Department of Veterans Affairs ‘Whole Health” Initiative Towards Addressing Chronic Conditions

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Spartan Medical Inc., a veteran-owned medical solutions company, salutes the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ Whole Person Health initiative to help veterans make healthy food choices and build sound eating habits. Last Veterans Day (November 2022), Spartan Medical and Tangelo, a vertically-integrated food-as-medicine logistics platform, launched the Veteran HealthPak, a comprehensive solution that includes providing food as medicine to the doorsteps of veterans across the country.

March is National Nutrition Month, an annual nutrition education campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign promotes the importance of making smart food choices and building sound eating and physical activity habits. To celebrate National Nutrition Month, the Department of Veterans Affairs is encouraging veterans to eat healthy through its Whole Person Health initiative and newsletter:

“Making healthy choices about what you eat and drink is a powerful way to care for yourself. Food and drink give our bodies the fuel needed to work properly, stay healthy, and fight disease.

Choosing foods that nourish rather than harm your body may help prevent chronic conditions and potentially reduce the need for certain medications in the future. Food can also be used to help treat some health conditions.”

The Veteran HealthPak, which is a comprehensive solution to address the clinical needs of up to 72% percent of veteran patients with one or more chronic conditions, exceeds the stated needs and strategic initiatives of the VA Healthcare System by providing a 12-month program that includes: 

• Registered dietitian assessment to prescribe “food-as-medicine” medically-tailored prepared meals and / or groceries
• Medically-tailored meals and / or groceries delivered monthly to a veterans’ doorsteps
• 30% Veteran Nutrition Incentive up to $500 per month in increased purchasing power on healthy food
• SNAP enrollment education and support
• Up to four self-monitoring devices with “alerts” and notifications for “at risk” readings
• Behavioral health group coaching classes and medical nutritional group therapy classes
• Education focused on managing and improving the relevant chronic condition(s)
• Smart phone and internet access for unserved and underserved veterans (as requested)
• 24/7 access to suicide prevention resources and one-click direct connect with a live crisis hotline directly through the application (a real person trained to support veterans)

The Veteran HealthPak aligns with the Department of Veterans Affairs Strategic Plan for 2022-2028 as well as with the Veterans Health Administration directives 1438, 1120.02, 1120.05. Clinicians at local VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and associated clinics are working on enrolling Veterans for the Veteran HealthPak now. 

“When the largest healthcare system in the United States promotes healthy food as medicine to help address chronic conditions for veteran patients, Spartan Medical stands ready to answer the call,” said Vince Proffitt, Founder and President of Spartan Medical. “Together, Spartan Medical and Tangelo are able to immediately deploy a comprehensive, integrated, and sustainable solution to assist the VA/VHA in achieving their “whole health” goals for veteran patients.  While the VA is providing education and recipes to help veterans eat healthier, our team brings the operational expertise to deliver healthy food, self-care monitoring devices, nutritional therapy, and other benefits to any veteran’s doorstep.  What a better time to start providing food as medicine to veterans than National Nutrition Month?” 

Jeremy Cooley, Founder and CEO of Tangelo, added, “We are at an unprecedented time today in 2023. Two years ago, it would be unbelievable to think we could be talking about deploying a whole health program including medically tailored food to hundreds of thousands of Veterans to improve their health and wellbeing. Today, this is more than just possible — It’s a reality. We are honored to have great partners like Spartan Medical leading the charge to bring this amazing program to more and more Veterans.”

Spartan Medical is ready NOW to onboard VA Medical Centers (VAMC) and associated clinics.  If you are a provider or an administrator at a VAMC caring for veteran patients with one or more chronic conditions, please email our Customer Service team at [email protected], or call 888-240-8091 to learn how to offer the Veteran HealthPak to veterans in your local community.

About Spartan Medical®:
Spartan Medical is a veteran-owned company that provides A-to-Z solutions that improve patient care and outcomes, especially for America’s military and veteran communities. Spartan Medical has been awarded more than 700 contracts with the federal government, and it has served hundreds of private, Veterans Affairs, and Department of Defense hospitals around the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Spartan Medical provided schools and state and local government agencies an award-winning COVID-19 mitigation program that helped them suppress outbreaks and keep their organizations operating, establishing Spartan Medical as a proven leader in the emergency response space and medical operations management industry.

About Tangelo:
Tangelo is a Vertically Integrated Food-As-Medicine Logistics Platform that provides a comprehensive suite of services that unifies data and provides access and affordability to foundational resources that improve peoples’ lives. Tangelo’s platform is designed to incentivize improving quality of life, ending hunger, stimulating local economies, supporting sustainable agriculture, and reducing healthcare costs. Based on Tangelo’s most recent Impact Audit by Boston Consulting Group, every $1 run through Tangelo’s platform generates $3.5 in economic value created in society.

Media Contact for Spartan Medical:
Nick Goebel: 248-767-6276
[email protected]

Media Contact for Tangelo:
Alex Brokaw: 401-552-3128
[email protected]

Chronic Conditions include:  Alcohol Use, Arthritis, Asthma, Atrial Fibrillation, Behavioral or Mental Health Issues, Cancer, COPD, Depression, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hepatitis, High BMI (e.g. Overweight), High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, Kidney Disease, Maternal Health, Osteoporosis Stroke, and Substance Use. Contact your VA Primary Care Physician to learn more and discuss whether you qualify for the Veteran HealthPak.

SOURCE Spartan Medical Inc.