Dietitian-led from the start
Assessments and food plans are done by registered dietitians, under the clinical direction of Tatiana Kidanov-Shifrot, MS, RD, CDN, CDCES.
For care managers, navigators & health plan teams
Refer with confidence. We take it from there.
MBD Care is a Social Care Network provider contracted with Public Health Solutions and SOMOS. When you refer a Medicaid member for food, our team handles the outreach, screening, dietitian assessment and delivery set-up — in the member’s language, across Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. Already screened the member? Refer for just the food, just the nutrition assessment, or both.
Services are covered through the member’s Medicaid. No cost to the member, and no effect on SNAP, WIC or other benefits.
To the people behind every referral
Care managers and navigators, thank you.
You are often the first to notice that a member’s fridge is empty, that their food is working against their diagnosis, or that no one has followed up. You make the calls, chase the paperwork and keep showing up for the people on your caseload, every single day.
That work rarely gets the credit it deserves. Think of MBD Care as the partner on the other end of your referral: we bring the food, the dietitian and the extra support, so your day gets a little lighter.
Our commitment to you
One referral, handled end to end
You have a caseload. We want every referral you send us to be one less thing to follow up on.
We pick up wherever your team left off. If the member has not been screened, our team contacts them and completes the screening. A registered dietitian then assesses the member’s health needs and chooses the food programme that fits.
If your organization has already done the screening and eligibility work, we do not repeat it. Refer for food only, a nutrition assessment, or both.
If other people in the home need food support, we can enroll each person on their own Medicaid, or set the household up together where that fits better. If the member also needs housing support, kitchen equipment or transportation, we can arrange those under the same benefit.
And if you need to reach us about a member, you call a real person on a direct line: 718-737-2252.
Why refer to MBD Care
What your members get with us
Halal and kosher, certified
Close to half of the meals we arrange are halal or kosher, prepared to that standard from the start. Certificates are available on request.
Five languages
English, Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek and Hebrew, so members hear about their benefit in the language they are most comfortable in.
Whole households
Everyone in the home who needs food can be enrolled, each on their own Medicaid or as a household, with one team to call.
Programmes
What you can refer for
When we do the assessment, a registered dietitian decides which food programme fits. You do not need to choose one on the referral.
Medically tailored meals
Meals built around a diagnosis: carbohydrate-controlled for diabetes, lower-sodium for heart conditions, softer textures where chewing or swallowing is hard.
See how ready-made meals work →Clinically appropriate meals
Balanced prepared meals for members who need consistent food but not a condition-specific plan, such as families with young children.
See how ready-made meals work →Food prescription boxes
A weekly box with ingredients for 21 balanced meals per enrolled member, across all six food groups, for members who prefer to cook.
See what’s inside a box →Also available to eligible members
- Housing support — finding and keeping stable housing
- Cooking supplies — pots, pans and basic kitchen equipment
- Appliances — such as a refrigerator or microwave where one is missing
- Transportation to medical and social care appointments
Eligibility quick check
- Active New York Medicaid in a Managed Care plan (mainstream, HARP or HIV-SNP). FFS members: navigation only
- Lives in Brooklyn, Queens or Manhattan (Bronx: connected through the SOMOS network)
- A qualifying health need — e.g. diabetes, heart or kidney disease, pregnancy, a child at nutritional risk
- Other conditions and high Medicaid utilizers can qualify with a doctor’s attestation. We provide the paperwork.
- Screening and assessment, arranged by us unless your team has already done it
Condition not on the usual list? The member may still qualify.
Other conditions can qualify, and so can high Medicaid utilizers, such as members with frequent emergency room visits or hospital stays. These usually need a doctor’s attestation. We provide the attestation paperwork for the member’s doctor.
How qualifying with a doctor’s attestation works →How to refer
Refer for exactly what the member needs
If your organization has already completed the screening and eligibility work, we do not repeat it. Choose what you are referring for.
Food only
The member is already screened and eligible. We set up delivery of meals or grocery boxes.
Nutrition assessment only
A nutrition assessment by a registered dietitian, without food delivery.
Assessment and food
A registered dietitian assesses the member, chooses the food programme, and we set up delivery.
Starting from scratch? We handle the whole process
1
Send the referral
Refer the member to MBD Care through Unite Us. Note their preferred language and anyone else in the household who needs food.
2
We contact the member
Our team calls the member and completes the screening if it has not been done.
3
Dietitian assessment
A registered dietitian reviews the member’s health needs and household and chooses the right programme.
4
Delivery is scheduled
We agree a delivery schedule with the member and stay the point of contact for changes.
Want to talk it through first?
- Call 718-737-2252 to discuss a member, a household, or eligibility
- Email info@mbd.care
Member reaching out directly?
- Members can call us, or leave their details on our short eligibility form
- Our Social Care Network page explains the benefit in plain language
Questions
Questions care managers ask us
How do I refer a member to MBD Care?
Send the referral to MBD Care through Unite Us. If you have a question before referring, or want to talk a case through, call 718-737-2252 or email info@mbd.care.
What does a member need to qualify?
Active New York Medicaid through a Medicaid Managed Care plan (mainstream, HARP or HIV-SNP), an address in Brooklyn, Queens or Manhattan, and a qualifying health need such as diabetes, heart or kidney disease, pregnancy, or a child at nutritional risk. Eligibility is confirmed through a screening and a dietitian assessment that we arrange, unless your organization has already completed that work.
The member is Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS). Can you serve them?
Not yet. Under the SCN rules, FFS members are eligible for navigation only, not Enhanced HRSN services. Unless the member is excluded from managed care (for example, most members with Medicare, other comprehensive insurance, a spenddown or emergency-only Medicaid), they can choose a plan through New York Medicaid Choice (1-800-505-5678) or NY State of Health (1-855-355-5777). Members who do not choose after the mandatory enrollment notice are auto-assigned a plan. Enrollment usually takes effect on the 1st of a month. Once it shows in ePACES or MEVS, refer them through Unite Us. Please stay plan-neutral when helping a member choose.
What about MLTC, MAP and dual-eligible members?
MLTC and MAP members are not eligible for 1115 waiver nutrition services, which their plans provide as a benefit, but they may be eligible for other Enhanced HRSN services after screening. Dual-eligible members whose Medicaid is fee-for-service receive navigation only. Duals enrolled in a Medicaid Managed Care plan through an aligned D-SNP may be eligible. Call us to talk a case through.
What if the member's condition is not on the usual list?
Other conditions can qualify, and so can high Medicaid utilizers, such as members with frequent emergency room visits or hospital stays. These usually need an attestation from the member's doctor, and we provide the paperwork for the doctor to complete.
Do you work with members in the Bronx?
MBD Care is contracted with SOMOS, which covers the Bronx. Call us about a Bronx member and we will help connect them with the right services in the network.
The member has already been screened. Do you repeat it?
No. If your organization has already done the screening and eligibility work, refer for what the member needs: food only, a nutrition assessment by a registered dietitian, or both.
Can I refer a whole household?
Yes. Where each person has their own Medicaid, refer each one individually and we enroll them separately, so each gets food matched to their own needs. Where that does not fit, we can set the household up together.
Which languages can your team work in?
English, Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek and Hebrew. Note the member's preferred language on the referral and we will match the call.
Can members receive more than food?
Yes. Alongside meals and grocery boxes, we can arrange housing support, cooking supplies, appliances and transportation to appointments for eligible members.
How quickly do members start receiving food?
Once the nutrition assessment is done, food goes out within a week, and sometimes as soon as the next day.
Partner with us
Have a member who needs food support?
Refer through Unite Us, or call us and we will help you work out whether MBD Care is the right fit.
Contracted with Public Health Solutions and SOMOS