Bay Area
Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Address Food Insecurity’s Impact on Chronic Health Conditions
Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced the National Food as Medicine Act on Wednesday. Food as Medicine affirms the connection between food and health and recognizes that access to high-quality nourishment is essential for well-being. This legislation would reduce nutrition-related chronic diseases and food insecurity and improve health and racial equity in the United States, and would increase Americans’ access to healthy, nutritious, organic, and affordable foods, as well as behavioral services such as health coaching and nutrition counseling, especially in low-income communities.

By Nico Ballón
Special to The Post
Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced the National Food as Medicine Act on Wednesday. Food as Medicine affirms the connection between food and health and recognizes that access to high-quality nourishment is essential for well-being.
This legislation would reduce nutrition-related chronic diseases and food insecurity and improve health and racial equity in the United States, and would increase Americans’ access to healthy, nutritious, organic, and affordable foods, as well as behavioral services such as health coaching and nutrition counseling, especially in low-income communities.
“Good, nutritious foods are the cornerstone of good health,” said Lee. “Yet far too many Americans, especially in low-income communities and communities of color, lack access to affordable, nutritious food. A national Food as Medicine program will reduce health care costs, improve health outcomes, and improve the quality of life for generations to come, especially for patients with diet-related chronic diseases. It our responsibility to end hunger and begin to transform our “disease care system” to a true health care system. Food as Medicine is the path to do just that.”
In 2023, over 18 million U.S. households were food insecure. A landmark 2018 study demonstrated that an unhealthy diet is the leading cause of death in the United States, surpassing tobacco use, high blood pressure, and obesity, and causing more than half a million deaths per year in the United States. A growing body of research demonstrates that using healthy food, termed “medically supportive food,” in a clinical setting helps the healthcare system address food and nutrition insecurity, chronic disease, racial and health equity, and the intersections between them. This is further evidenced by work being spearheaded in Alameda County and their Recipe4Health “Food as Medicine” model.
The National Food as Medicine Act would:
- Establish a Food as Medicine Waiver Grant program to establish, implement, and expand Food as Medicine interventions to reduce nutrition-related chronic conditions and improve health
- Establish a USDA Food as Medicine Technical Assistant Program to support producers to connect with local health care systems to provide for FAM interventions
- Direct the HHS Secretary to develop and issue Food as Medicine guidance to states and counties to aid in the implementation, planning, and expansion of Food as Medicine programs
- Require a report to Congress from the HHS Secretary regarding the impact of Food as Medicine programs
Steven Chen, chief medical officer for Alameda County Recipe4Health, said: “Alameda County Recipe4Health applauds Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s leadership to amplify the benefits of Food as Medicine through equitable sourcing, which will ensure multiple benefits such as healthy soil, nutritious food, a healthy economy, healthy people, and a healthy planet for all.
“The National Food as Medicine Program Act will prioritize food grown regeneratively and organically by a diverse group of local and regional farmers. Patients with limited financial resources will be prescribed high quality nutrient-dense food by their health care teams to treat and prevent chronic conditions and food insecurity.
“Local farmers, farmworkers, food hubs, and community-based organizations in rural and urban America will have new economic incentives to grow and provide nutritious vegetables, fruit, and meals to benefit their communities,” Chen said.
“At Alameda Health System, we commend and stand with Congresswoman Barbara Lee in her efforts to champion the vital role of Food as Medicine and promote equitable access to healthy and nutritious food,” said James Jackson, CEO of Alameda Health System. “Food insecurity disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color. In Alameda County, we have partnered with the Alameda County Health and community farmers to address those health disparities by offering patients a prescription for healthy, nutritious, locally grown foods. communities.”
Alameda County Health Director Colleen Chawla said she was incredibly grateful to Lee for her unwavering support of their Food as Medicine Program, Recipe4Health. Alameda County has been a leader in the Food as Medicine space for years, and Recipe4Health is a prime example of how innovative programs can reduce food insecurity and improve health outcomes.
Nico Ballón is a member of the staff of Rep. Barbara Lee’s media relations office.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Lateefah Simon to Speak at Elihu Harris Lecture Series
The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.

By Scott Horton
United States House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8) will be a speaker at the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series on Friday, Feb. 21.
The event will be held at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, 10 Tenth Street in Oakland, at 7 p.m.
The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.
The overarching goal of the lecture series is to provide speakers from diverse backgrounds a platform to offer their answers to Dr. King’s urgent question, which is also the title of Jeffries’ latest book: “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”
In addition to Jeffries, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) will also speak.
“Certainly, now is a time for humanity, in general, and Americans in particular to honestly and genuinely answer Dr. King’s question,” said Dr. Roy D. Wilson, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Executive Producer of the lecture series.
“Dr. King teaches that time is neutral but not static. Like the water in a river, it arrives and then quickly moves on,” continued Wilson. “We must urgently create conditions for listening to many different answers to this vital question, and generate the development of unity of action among all those who struggle for a stronger democracy.”
In his book, Jeffries shares his experience of being unanimously elected by his colleagues as the first African American in history to ever hold the position of House Minority Leader.
In January 2023 in Washington, Jeffries made his first official speech as House Minority Leader. He affirmed Democratic values one letter of the alphabet at a time. His words and how he framed them as the alphabet caught the attention of Americans, and the speech was later turned into a book, The ABCs of Democracy, bringing Congressman Jeffries rousing speech to vivid, colorful life, including illustrations by Shaniya Carrington. The speech and book are inspiring and urgent as a timeless reminder of what it means to be a country with equal opportunities for all. Jeffries paints a road map for a brighter American future and warns of the perils of taking a different path.
Before his colleagues unanimously elected him Minority Leader in 2022, Jeffries previously served as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as an Impeachment Manager during the first Senate trial of the 45th President of the United States.
Jeffries was born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in Crown Heights, grew up in the Cornerstone Baptist Church and he is a product of New York City’s public school system, graduating from Midwood High School. Jefferies went on to Binghamton University (BA), Georgetown University (master’s in public policy) and New York University (JD).
He served in the New York State Assembly from 2007 to 2012.
Admission is free for the Feb. 21 Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series featuring Congressman Jeffries. Please reserve seats by calling the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center at (510) 434-3988.
Signed copies of his book will be available for purchase at the event.
Alameda County
After Years of Working Remotely, Oakland Requires All City Employees to Return to Office by April 7
City Administrator Jestin Johnson recently told city unions that he is ending Oakland’s telecommuting program. The new policy will require employees to come to work at least four days a week. These new regulations go into effect on Feb. 18 for non-union department heads, assistant and deputy directors, managers, and supervisors. All other employees must be back at work by April 7.

By Post Staff
The City Oakland is requiring all employees to return to the office, thereby ending the telecommuting policy established during the pandemic that has left some City Hall departments understaffed.
City Administrator Jestin Johnson recently told city unions that he is ending Oakland’s telecommuting program. The new policy will require employees to come to work at least four days a week.
These new regulations go into effect on Feb. 18 for non-union department heads, assistant and deputy directors, managers, and supervisors. All other employees must be back at work by April 7.
The administration may still grant the right to work remotely on a case-by-case basis.
In his memo to city unions, Johnson said former President Joe Biden had declared an end to the pandemic in September 2022, and that since then, “We have collectively moved into newer, safer health conditions.”
Johnson said “multiple departments” already have all their staff back in the office or workplace.
The City’s COVID-era policy, enacted in September 2021, was designed to reduce the spread of the debilitating and potentially fatal virus.
Many cities and companies across the country are now ending their pandemic-related remote work policies. Locally, mayoral candidate Loren Taylor in a press conference made the policy a central issue in his campaign for mayor.
City Hall reopened for in-person meetings two years ago, and the city’s decision to end remote work occurred before Taylor’s press conference.
At an endorsement meeting last Saturday of the John George Democratic Club, mayoral candidate Barbara Lee said she agreed that city workers should return to the job.
At the same time, she said, the city should allow employees time to readjust their lives, which were disrupted by the pandemic, and should recognize individual needs, taking care to maintain staff morale.
The John George club endorsed Lee for Mayor and Charlene Wang for City Council representative for District 2. The club also voted to take no position on the sales tax measure that will be on the April 15 ballot.
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of January 22 – 28, 2025
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Poll: Tell Us What You Think About the Cost of Groceries in Oakland
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
PRESS ROOM: Top Climate Organizations React to Trump’s Executive Orders Attacking Health, Environment, Climate and Clean Energy Jobs
-
Activism3 weeks ago
OP-ED: Like Physicians, U.S. Health Institutions Must ‘First, Do No Harm’
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
Trump Exploits Tragedy to Push Racist and Partisan Attacks
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of January 29 – February 4, 2025
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
Black Reaction to Trump DEI Blame on The Plane Crash
-
#NNPA BlackPress3 weeks ago
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2025 We Proclaim It