By Vanguard Staff
Meals on Wheels Yolo County has announced a new partnership with GroundGame.Health, a Tampa-based social impact company, in a move aimed at increasing access to meals and support services for food-insecure and isolated seniors across Yolo County and Northern California.
The collaboration comes at a time when more than 735,000 seniors face food insecurity in California, including over 8,000 in Yolo County. The partnership seeks to strengthen the delivery of nutritious food and expand the reach of senior nutrition programs in the region through the use of GroundGame.Health’s Implify™ platform.
“In a state where more than 735,000 seniors face food insecurity – and more than 8,000 in Yolo County – Meals on Wheels Yolo County is creating healthier outcomes for Yolo County seniors through the delivery of nutritious food which also fosters social connections through regular visits and interactions between volunteers and seniors,” said Susan Rawlings Molina, Co-Founder and CEO at GroundGame.Health. “We’re honored to power their work with technology that helps them advance their ability to drive deeper local impact.”
Meals on Wheels Yolo County currently serves more than 1,000 seniors every day, addressing both nutritional and social needs across rural and urban areas. In addition to daily meal deliveries, the organization is expanding services to include medically tailored meals for Medi-Cal members with chronic conditions, and it supports other senior nutrition programs and nonprofit meal initiatives throughout Northern California.
“This partnership amplifies our mission to nourish and engage seniors, ensuring they live healthier and safer lives as they strive to age in place,” said Joy Cohan, Executive Director of MOW Yolo. “With GroundGame.Health’s support, Meals on Wheels Yolo County’s team soon will have access to more robust and comprehensive data in one system, optimizing and driving data-informed decision-making to advance MOW Yolo’s ability to assist more seniors.”
The partnership is especially timely for Yolo County, which holds one of the highest poverty rates in California at 19.5%, despite its status as a major agricultural hub. Many seniors in the county live in food deserts or face mobility issues that prevent them from accessing basic services. Meals on Wheels Yolo County’s expansion through this partnership is intended to directly address those gaps.
Through the implementation of the Implify™ platform, Meals on Wheels Yolo County will manage client services, staff and volunteer scheduling, outreach, education, and revenue cycle support more efficiently. The platform is designed to support services funded through the Older Americans Act and California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), allowing for compliance with state and federal funding while reducing the administrative burden on local staff.
According to GroundGame.Health, their approach is centered on managing the complex connections between health plans, providers, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to close quality gaps in care and meet unmet social needs. “By facilitating personalized, culturally tailored, human-to-human interactions and experiences, we make the biggest difference in people’s lives,” the organization stated.
Meals on Wheels Yolo County, based in a dedicated institutional kitchen facility, is the only provider of fully prepared meals for seniors in the county. It prepares and delivers hot and frozen meals, supports congregate social dining, and offers medically tailored diets to support a growing number of regional nutrition programs.
More information about GroundGame.Health can be found at groundgame.health. To learn more about Meals on Wheels Yolo County, visit mowyolo.org.
