Food Bank-Home Delivered Meals
Service Standard
Food Bank-Home Delivered Meals Service Standard print version
| Subcategories | Service Units |
|---|---|
| Food Pantry/Voucher Visit Without Nutritional Supplements | Per visit |
| Food Pantry/Voucher Visit with Nutritional Supplements (Supplements ordered by a licensed dietician should be funded and recorded under Medical Nutritional Therapy) | Per visit |
| Meals - Home-Delivered | Per person per meal |
| Meals - Congregate | Per person per meal |
Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Description:
Food Bank/Home-Delivered Meals refers to the provision of actual food items, hot meals, or a voucher program to purchase food. This also includes the provision of essential non-food items that are limited to the following:
- Personal hygiene products;
- Household cleaning supplies;
- Water filtration/purification systems in communities where issues of water safety exist.
Program Guidance:
Unallowable costs include household appliances, pet foods, and other non-essential products. Nutritional services and nutritional supplements provided by a registered dietitian are considered a core medical service under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program (RWHAP) and if offered, should be funded under the core medical service medical nutritional therapy.
Language assistance must be provided to individuals who have limited English proficiency and/or other communication needs at no cost to them in order to facilitate timely access to all health care and services.
Subrecipients must provide easy-to-understand print and multimedia materials and signage in the languages commonly used by the populations in the service area to inform all individuals of the availability of language assistance services.
All AAs and subrecipients must establish culturally and linguistically appropriate goals, policies, and management accountability, and infuse them throughout the organizations’ planning and operations.
Limitations:
Food vouchers/gift cards are to be restricted from the purchase of tobacco or alcohol products. No direct payment to clients is allowed.
Services:
This category includes the provision of actual food, prepared meals, or food vouchers to purchase prepared meals. This category also includes the provision of fruit, vegetables, dairy, canned meat, staples, and personal care products in a food bank setting.
Food Bank: Food Bank services are the provision of actual food and personal care items in a food bank setting.
On-site/Home-Delivered Meals: On-site/Home-Delivered Meals are the provision of prepared meals or food vouchers for prepared meals, in either a congregate dining setting or delivered to clients who are homebound and cannot shop for or prepare their own food. This service includes the provision of both frozen and hot meals.
Telehealth and Telemedicine is an alternative modality to provide most Ryan White Part B and State Services funded services. For the Ryan White Part B/SS funded providers and Administrative Agencies, telehealth and telemedicine services are to be provided in real-time via audio and video communication technology which can include videoconferencing software.
DSHS HIV Care Services requires that for Ryan White Part B or SS funded services providers must use features to protect ePHI transmission between client and providers. RW Providers must use a telehealth vendor that provides assurances to protect ePHI that includes the vendor signing a business associate agreement (BAA). Ryan White Providers using telehealth must also follow DSHS HIV Care Services guidelines for telehealth and telemedicine outlined in DSHS Telemedicine Guidance.
Service Standard and Measure
The following Standards and Measures are guides to improving healthcare outcomes for people living with HIV throughout the State of Texas within the Ryan White Part B and State Services Program.
| Standard | Measure |
|---|---|
|
Provision of Services Food Distribution: Clients referred to, or otherwise accessing food bank without a referral, must be screened for other eligible resources such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as evidenced in their primary record. Clients accessing food bank have documentation in the client primary record of reason/need assessed. Assessment of client’s immediate or ongoing need for food bank services is documented in the client’s primary record. |
Percentage of clients with documentation in the client’s primary record of other food resources accessed prior to clients accessing food bank. Percentage of clients with documentation in the client’s primary record of the assessment of need for food resources. |
|
Dietary Guidance: A Registered Dietician (RD) must be consulted in the development of a dietary/nutritional policy that lists specific food items that may be offered in the food bank/pantry or prepared for home-delivered meals. There is an agency plan to address the needs of clients’ special diets. As applicable, clients are referred to an RD for specific dietary issues. Clients are offered counseling, if requested, to help with meal planning and food appropriateness. Program must ensure that available foods are selected considering special nutritional needs (incorporating generally accepted nutritional standards), religious requirements, and ethnic food preferences, as appropriate. Attempts must be made on a regular basis to provide choices on food items that meet individual dietary needs of clients, including the foods that fall into the recognized food categories for good diet identified in the Food and Drug Administration or Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. |
Percentage of clients accessing food bank are referred, as applicable, to a RD for specific dietary issues as documentation in the client primary record. Percentage of clients accessing food bank that are offered counseling for meal planning and food appropriateness. |
|
Home-Cooked/Hot Meals: Clients assessed for food security and offered home-cooked meals/hot meal programs have evidence of the need documented in the client’s primary record. |
Percentage of clients accessing hot meal programs, have documented evidence of assessment of need in the client’s primary record. |
| Discharge/Termination: Agency will develop discharge/termination for cause criteria and procedures. | Percentage of clients discharged from food bank/home-delivered meals have documentation of reason of discharge in the client’s primary record. |
References
HRSA/HAB Division of Metropolitan HIV/AIDS Programs Program Monitoring Standards – Part A April 2013. p. 30-32. Accessed on October 12, 2020.
HRSA/HAB Division of State HIV/AIDS Programs National Monitoring Standards – Program Part B April, 2013. p. 36-37. Accessed on October 12, 2020.