Q&A
Health Bucks program: Distribution and challenges
0:28:13
·
6 min
Council Member Amanda Farías inquires about the Health Bucks program, including distribution statistics and challenges faced in expanding vendor participation. Rachel Atcheson provides details on the program's reach and ongoing efforts to improve it.
- In 2023, over $2.3 million worth of Health Bucks were distributed
- Most Health Bucks were distributed through the SNAP incentive program at farmers markets
- Challenges include digital integration for moving away from paper log books
- Reimbursement delays for vendors (up to 30-45 days) were identified as a significant issue
- MOFP is exploring digital integration to potentially address the reimbursement delay problem
Amanda Farías
0:28:13
Okay.
0:28:14
Thank you so much for that.
0:28:18
I have questions around health bugs.
0:28:19
Do we feel comfortable
Rachel Atcheson
0:28:21
Yeah, I can.
0:28:22
Our colleague at the health department was not able to attend, so I have information about Health Bucks, though they do run the program.
0:28:28
So, happy to answer questions.
Amanda Farías
0:28:30
Great.
0:28:30
A lot of folks in the Bronx are always really excited about the Health Bucks program.
0:28:34
My district is particularly always excited about it since I've, started doing the program in partnership with DOHMH.
0:28:43
How are you coordinating with how are how is DOH coordinating with the office of Urban Agriculture to ensure food access initiatives complement rather than duplicate the work?
Qiana Mickie
0:28:56
With with the office mayor's office of Urban Agriculture, given our understanding of relationships with, urban ag stakeholders as well as regional partners, we try to use utilize that information to inform better, programs and activities to ensure that all farmers, no matter size, are able to, have the mechanisms and tools, in order to, not just accept Health Bucks, but what we also do is help them understand the co benefits of leveraging different, funding mechanisms.
0:29:30
So for us, what we've seen that really builds that multiplier effect is farmers, as well as market managers having access and capacity Mhmm.
0:29:40
To process multiple.
0:29:41
So that could look like health bucks, that can look like other double, double up incentive programs.
0:29:46
And again, as well as accepting snap, at their CSA.
0:29:51
I would also mention a lot of these models in, like to use community chef demos to use the healthy fresh food to engage their community so they understand what they're using, why they can use your fresh food, why they can buy it directly from farmers, but also it gives them the chance to understand how they are able to stretch their dollar.
0:30:13
So, you know, this is information that we get, you know, we leverage directly from the community and share into agency with partners, and we hope to continue to see, increased activity and action, with that activity inter and also the program and engagement.
Amanda Farías
0:30:31
Great.
0:30:31
We've also been joined by council member Verna Cough.
0:30:34
And then in terms of some of the data points, do we know the total distribution of health books through SNAP versus community based organizations?
Rachel Atcheson
0:30:44
Yes.
0:30:44
So in 2023, the health department distributed over 2,300,000 worth of health books.
0:30:51
Most health books were distributed through the SNAP incentive program at farmers markets.
0:30:55
More than 845,000 health books worth over 1,690,000.
0:31:01
Over a 110,000 health books worth more than 220,000 distributed by more than 600 programs at community and faith based organizations through their nutrition and health programming.
0:31:13
Nearly 220,000 health books worth over 440,000 purchased and distributed by local elected officials and programs at city agencies.
0:31:23
And in addition, in 2023, approximately 650,000 health books worth nearly 1,300,000 were purchased purchased and distributed by non profit organizations.
0:31:33
So happy to repeat any of those numbers, as those were a lot of numbers.
Amanda Farías
0:31:38
We can bother you afterwards for that.
0:31:40
Sounds great.
0:31:41
And do we know how many of those health books go unredeemed every fiscal year?
Rachel Atcheson
0:31:47
We do know that number.
0:31:49
It varies year to year.
0:31:50
The exact percentage, we'd have to get back to you, after this hearing.
Amanda Farías
0:31:54
Okay.
0:31:54
Yeah.
0:31:54
If you can give me, like, the last 2, 3 years of how many go unredeemed and we can do that average, that'd be great.
0:32:00
Yeah.
0:32:01
And, do we know how many vendors participate in the program from year to year, or if there's a consistency?
Rachel Atcheson
0:32:09
We would have to get back to you after this.
0:32:11
Okay.
0:32:12
The, yeah.
0:32:13
We'd have to get back to you with exact numbers.
Amanda Farías
0:32:16
That's fine.
0:32:16
Thank you.
0:32:17
And do we know if there's any specific challenges that we've encountered in expanding vendor participation in the Health Bucks program?
0:32:24
Any solutions we're looking at developing, if so?
Rachel Atcheson
0:32:27
Yes.
0:32:28
There are, hold on one second.
0:32:34
In terms of some challenges, there is, digital integration.
0:32:40
So as, you know, we for instance, with, school food, you know, we are, moving away from paper log books, to a digital system.
0:32:50
As we're doing in other agencies, we are also doing that.
0:32:53
We're also exploring that, with Help Bucks with digital integration.
0:32:57
So it's still, something we're digging into.
Amanda Farías
0:33:00
And what about, reimbursement or repayment to the vendors?
0:33:05
For example, last fiscal year, I gave over 20 or $25,000 worth of health books out in the district.
0:33:13
What I realized about, week 3 into our green market program was vendors were a little bit frustrated in that they have to wait about they were saying to me that they'd have to wait about 30 days to get reimbursement.
0:33:26
So we kinda had to readapt
Alex Paulenoff
0:33:27
Right.
Amanda Farías
0:33:28
Our strategy and how we were engaging the community on it because most folks were not like, vendors were not leaving with cash day of or end of week.
0:33:38
They were having to wait on a reimbursement.
0:33:39
And so I I'd like to know what how we're trying to work, whether that's with digital integration or do the subcontracting or the repayment to vendors and how to expedite those because we want people to have access to fresh and healthy food, especially if there's an economic need Yeah.
0:33:56
That we're trying to serve with the Health Bucks program.
0:33:59
And I also don't want any of our farmers and vendors to not get paid for 30 to 45 days.
0:34:04
Right.
0:34:04
Can you speak a little bit to that?
Rachel Atcheson
0:34:06
So because we do not, mayor's office food policy does not run the program, I can't speak in detail.
0:34:11
Sure.
0:34:12
We definitely have heard this concern, and we'll bring it back to our health department colleagues.
0:34:17
And I think through, potentially, that digital integration work, that we might find, a a way to, move that needle faster.
