JenCare Partners with Healthy Savings® to Help Improve Healthy Eating Among Food Insecure Seniors in Chicago

Chicago, IL (December 12, 2018) – JenCare Senior Medical Center in Chicago, which honors seniors with affordable VIP care that delivers better health, today announced it is helping at-risk elderly patients improve nutrition using the Healthy Savings program having identified those impacted by food insecurity.  Healthy Savings reduces the costs of making healthier food choices when shopping, by providing instant savings on fruits and vegetables at checkout of several grocery chains.

The program is being offered to a qualifying cohort of JenCare’s Medicare Advantage members known to have food access barriers that include high cost.  These JenCare patients can save 50% off the price of all fresh fruits and vegetables.  Plus, they also are able to receive savings of up to $50 each week on additional healthy food staples including lean meats, whole grains, milk, yogurt, cereals, beans and more from over 200 participating food and beverage companies.

Qualified JenCare patients simply shop at participating retailers including Jewel-Osco®, Mariano’s™, Niemann County Markets®, Shop ‘n Save® and Woodman’s, and scan the Healthy Savings card or mobile app at checkout for instant savings on healthier food items.  Nothing about the Healthy Savings card program precludes use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) card-voucher benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We are committed to transforming care of the neediest populations,” said Len Scarpinato, DO, MS, FAAFP, FACP, Chief Medical Officer for JenCare-Chicago.  “Our primary care physicians appreciate the vital role that good nutrition plays in health, so we’re excited about making healthy food more affordable to patients having shown they’d otherwise less nutritious foods with lower cost.”

“Healthy Savings is committed to enhancing the health of all Americans,” said Chad Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer for Solutran, Inc., the company behind Healthy Savings, “Our technology makes it virtually effortless for the consumer to access instant healthy food savings.”

Nationwide, members on the Healthy Savings program already have saved over $2.5 million on healthier food items.

In Chicago, JenCare’s Jeffery Manor center (2231 East 95th Street, Chicago, IL 60617) has in just weeks already helped many of its patients complete a screening questionnaire, identifying 115 seniors of the 400 plus impacted by significant food insecurity.  The medical practice is now helping those seniors receive Healthy Savings cards on a prioritized basis.  Plus, for those seniors needing transportation to shop participating supermarkets, JenCare offers courtesy transportation every other weekend.

About Healthy Savings

Healthy Savings is a program for participants to save on healthier foods without having to clip, print or download coupons. Discounts are pre-loaded onto participant accounts each week and activated with a simple scan of a barcode from a card or mobile phone at checkout of participating retail stores. Solutran S3 technology serves as the supporting substantiation platform behind the Healthy Savings program. The mission of Healthy Savings is to unlock the enormous potential within each individual with the goal of working together to improve the way America eats.

About JenCare Senior Medical Centers and ChenMed 

JenCare Senior Medical Center operates about 30 primary care medical practices serving seniors in Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia.  For seniors most in need of care, high-quality health care often is beyond reach. JenCare brings concierge-style medicine — and better health outcomes — to the neediest populations.  It is part of the ChenMed family of companies that Modern Healthcare featured in a cover story (Oct. 20, 2018), reporting that: “Indeed, ChenMed’s approach has resulted in 50% fewer hospital admissions compared with a standard primary-care practice, 28% lower per-member costs, and significantly higher use of evidence-based medications.”

JenCare’s (ChenMed’s) mission is to honor seniors with affordable VIP care that delivers better health. To do that, JenCare relies on innovative technology and a talented, resourceful, and compassionate team of providers.  On average, ChenMed physicians invest 207.6 minutes per year face-to-face with each patient, more than 10 times the national average of just 20.3 minutes annually for family and general physicians.  In Chicago, JenCare PCPs average even more face-to-face time with patients, investing 223 minutes yearly — precious time that’s reinforced by having doctors collaboratively review cases, discuss best practices, and develop new solutions to keep improving health outcomes and patient satisfaction levels.

ChenMed is a privately owned medical, management and technology company with 53 medical centers in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Well-known ChenMed brands also include Chen Senior Medical Center and Dedicated Senior Medical Center.  Led and inspired by ChenMed Chairman and founder James Chen, MD, PhD, the company’s proven approach has been serving low-to-moderate-income seniors with multiple complex chronic conditions for some 30 years.