Aetna and Goodr partner on mobile food market and chronic care initiative

NEW ORLEANS — Aetna Better Health of Louisiana, a CVS Health company, is partnering with Goodr to launch a mobile food market and nutrition education program to address food insecurity and improve chronic disease outcomes statewide.

Backed by a $400,000 investment, the initiative will deploy a “Food is Medicine” mobile market to community health centers across nine Louisiana regions, where one in six residents faces food insecurity. The program combines access to fresh food with clinical support for patients managing conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

The effort will kick off at AbsoluteCare in New Orleans with a ribbon-cutting, followed by a statewide tour that includes stops at centers in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Shreveport and Monroe. Participating sites will include DePaul Community Health Centers, Open Health Care Clinic and SWLA Center for Health Services, among others.

At each location, patients will have access to fresh produce, dairy products, and pantry staples, along with nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, and guidance from healthcare professionals. Community health centers will identify and enroll patients receiving ongoing care, and program outcomes will be measured using clinical indicators such as A1C and fasting blood glucose levels.

“Food insecurity continues to impact families across Louisiana and is closely linked to chronic conditions, which is why this issue is so important,” said Bridget Galatas, CEO of Aetna Better Health of Louisiana. “By collaborating with trusted organizations like Goodr and local community health centers, we’re meeting people where they are to provide nutritious food and additional resources to communities that need it most.”

Ashanta Green, market director at AbsoluteCare New Orleans, emphasized the role of access to healthy food in chronic care management, while Goodr founder and CEO Jasmine Crowe-Houston said the program is designed to extend beyond food distribution to support long-term health outcomes through education and engagement.

Aetna Better Health of Louisiana serves more than 175,000 Medicaid members across 64 parishes. The initiative reflects a broader push across healthcare and pharmacy to integrate nutrition access into care delivery models, particularly as providers expand efforts around preventive health and chronic disease management.