News Center

Published April 7, 2026

MONROE, La. – The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) has received $2.26 million from the Ouachita Parish Police Jury (OPPJ) to launch the Food Is Medicine program. The mission of the program is to transform the health outcomes and economic landscape of Northeast Louisiana (NELA) by integrating clinically prescribed nutrition with professional medical care to prevent and treat diet-related chronic illness. The NELA region currently faces some of the highest national rates of chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. The funds from the OPPJ were designated from the American Response Plan Act (ARPA). 

“The Food Is Medicine program will further the mission of ULM to be a model for how regional universities uplift entire communities. The use of food as prescriptive medicine to treat and prevent diet-related illnesses is a way that ULM can go beyond simply educating our students, but also transform lives in communities across Northeast Louisiana. The rich agriculture of this region offers a practical laboratory to demonstrate the important connection between food and health," said ULM President Dr. Carrie L. Castille.  

“We are grateful for the partnership of the Ouachita Police Jury and for them entrusting our university with these funds that will create a program designed to bring about generational change for our region. The ULM Colleges of Pharmacy and Health Sciences are uniquely positioned to carry this program to fruition through our clinical expertise and desire to see communities improved through healthcare. We look forward to partnering with other stakeholders as this program develops on our campus,” added Castille.  

“This funding represents a strategic investment by the Police Jury in the long-term health of our community, and we are proud to support ULM as it launches the Food Is Medicine program. This initiative addresses health challenges at their dietary roots while strengthening connections between healthcare, education, and our local agricultural economy. We are confident this effort will deliver meaningful, lasting outcomes for individuals in Ouachita Parish and across the broader region,” said Ouachita Parish Police Jury President Shane Smiley. 

The Food Is Medicine program will follow an accelerated seven-month implementation timeline. Months one through three will be focused on infrastructure design, procurement of high-fidelity simulation equipment, and intensive faculty training. Months four through seven will include the installation of a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen to serve as a hub for culinary medicine training and community demonstrations, as well as the development of clinical protocols, and the launch of community engagement initiatives.  

The ULM College of Pharmacy will lead in the development of prescriptive nutrition protocols and order sets, allowing providers to prescribe produce and groceries as precisely as medication. The implementation of the program will also include intensive faculty training, which will allow for the rapid credentialing of ULM faculty through expert-led workshops and national conferences.  

"ULM, via all of our health sciences programs, including the College of Pharmacy, is dedicated to optimizing health outcomes for our region. By incorporating nutrition into our clinical frameworks, we are empowering our health professionals to integrate nutrition with the same evidence-based precision as traditional pharmaceuticals. This program allows us to address one of the root causes of chronic disease, directly fulfilling our mission to improve the well-being of the Northeast Louisiana community," said Dr. Gina Craft, Interim Dean of the ULM College of Pharmacy.  

Craft describes the program as “a highly interprofessional initiative,” stating that while the College of Pharmacy will lead the development of the clinical protocols and the produce formulary, the College of Health Sciences, along with other partners, will be deeply integrated into the program for clinical rotations and simulation training.   

Craft also points to the ULM Athlete Nutrition pilot as an immediate proof of concept for the Food Is Medicine program. This project will document how tailored nutrition strategies already used by ULM athletes can be scaled to help community members with chronic diseases.  

While the initial $2.26 million will help lay the groundwork for the program, ULM officials plan for Food Is Medicine to experience sustained growth through clinical partnerships with local clinics and hospitals and collaborations with regional food banks and NELA farmers to stabilize a “farm-to-clinic" pipeline.  

Additionally, the program is positioned to secure long-term federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Produce Prescription grants. The goal is to transform Ouachita Parish and Northeast Louisiana into a national leader in healthcare innovation.  

More details about the ULM Food Is Medicine program will be released throughout the seven-month implementation phase.