April 21, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM 

Join us for a comprehensive look at how Food is Medicine and community-based nutrition programs are transforming care for Medicaid populations. This session offers insights for anyone working at the intersection of health care and food systems.

We’ll unpack Washington’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver and its Health-Related Needs nutrition support services, highlighting what it means for health care providers, community organizations, and patients. Attendees will learn from a pilot project with Sea Mar Burien, demonstrating how health centers can improve access to fresh, healthy food and link to clinical outcomes. We will also provide a practical overview of food insecurity programming in action and discuss how strong community links have supported program expansion and opened new funding pathways, as well as how the integration of biometric data and health related needs measures can improve understanding of patient needs, refine interventions, and demonstrate impact.

After this session attendees will be able to:

• Define the Food is Medicine framework.
• Outline the 1115 Medicaid Waiver structure and nutrition-related opportunities.
• Review lessons from the Sea Mar–Food Lifeline farmers market diabetes pilot.
• Identify alternative funding options and the role of community partnerships.
• Use biometric and health related needs data to guide food insecurity program design and evaluation.

Elizabeth Kimball, 
Food Policy Lead,
Public Health – Seattle & King County  

For over 22 years, Elizabeth has advanced food access, nutrition security, and community wellbeing across King County. As the Food Policy Lead at Public Health – Seattle & King County, she guides the development of policy, systems, and environmental strategies that strengthen access to nutritious food. She works closely with state agencies to support implementation of the Medicaid 1115 Waiver’s health-related needs nutrition support services. She guides the development of policy, systems, and environmental strategies that strengthen access to nutritious food. 

Justice Kurihara
Health Education Program Manager,
Sea Mar Community Health Centers

Justice is the Health Education Program Manager at Sea Mar Community Health Centers, where she directs the implementation of food insecurity programming across 30 medical sites in western Washington. Since joining Sea Mar in 2022 and stepping into the Program Manager role in 2025, Justice has focused on building strong community relationships, advancing sustainable program strategies, and leveraging data to better understand patient needs and strengthen program impact.