Why Maryland is writing prescriptions that come in a grocery bag

Maryland health officials are turning to a different type of treatment to combat some of the worst health conditions plaguing residents.

And it comes in a grocery bag.

The Maryland Department of Health recently announced $10 million in grants to 14 communities to offer nutritious food aimed at improving the health of people with diabetes, high blood pressure, malnutrition and other issues.

Programs are located in every part of the state, including Baltimore, Baltimore County, the Washington suburbs and the Eastern Shore.

The Baltimore Health Department, along with MedStar Health, Total Health Care and HealthCare Access Maryland, was awarded $1.85 million and plans to deliver food for six months to people with chronic conditions and facing food insecurity.

“With these grants, we are removing barriers to healthy food access, improving health, and building stronger, more resilient communities,” Dr. Meena Seshamani, Maryland health secretary, said in a statement.

The state’s initiative, called ProduceRx, leans into what those in public health already know. The food people eat is fundamental to their health. Prescribing “food as medicine” for specific health conditions has become a growing movement.

That means more than handing out the same box of food. These prescriptions are personalized so the food may be low in salt for one person with hypertension, low in sugar for a someone with diabetes or high in calories for another suffering from malnutrition.

Communities that have programs say they are seeing an effect, including in Washington County, where Meritus Health’s Food Farmacy program launched in May 2025. It has served 1,500 patients.

Beth Fields Dowdell, director of community health and outpatient care management at Meritus, said she’s been getting calls from other groups asking for direction in setting up the program.

Meritus’ effort began as a food pantry to address food insecurity among the Western Maryland system’s patients, but officials saw an opportunity to medically tailor foods to have more impact on persistent health conditions.

Fields Dowdell said the program went from offering nonperishable items to fresh fruit and vegetables, often locally sourced. Cooking classes are offered twice a month as a way to ensure people know what to do with all the items, including some that may be unfamiliar or less popular.

Black beans, for example, can be baked into a more healthful dessert like brownies.

“This helps them ensure a healthy lifestyle versus just getting them food,” Fields Dowdell said.

Specifically, patients get a prescription from a medical provider for two bags of groceries every week for eight weeks. They weigh about 30 pounds and are valued at about $50, and they are entirely funded by the health system. Meritus plans to add a delivery service for people who lack transportation.

Patients can extend the program to 12 weeks and reenroll if providers see progress and the patients want to continue.

Meritus has also extended nutrition education in the curriculum of its newly opened medical school so future doctors can provide patients more support. More immediately, students are helping with an official assessment of the prescription food program on patient health.

Fields Dowdell said patients already report improvements and that they feel healthier. She hopes the reviews, and the evidence, will lead to more funding for similar programs.