2024 Healthy Pregnancy Program Evaluation Report

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 2025) – Open Arms of Minnesota, in partnership with Hennepin Healthcare, has released the 2024 evaluation report for its Healthy Pregnancy Home-Delivered Meals program. This initiative, now in its second pilot year (2024), was designed to address barriers to a healthy pregnancy and postpartum period for people with nutritional risk factors by providing services and resources that have the potential to reduce food insecurity, improve nutrition status, increase nutrition education knowledge, and reduce stress.  

The 2024 pilot built on learnings from the first program in 2023 (2023 Evaluation Report) and incorporated improvements including offering participants more food choices, more culturally relevant food products, and a connection to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for all the participants. Of the 74 patients referred to the program, 68 enrolled and 55 completed it through delivery. The entire cohort identified as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). 

Summary highlights of key findings include:  

• Participants reported high satisfaction and would recommend the program to others. 
• The primary motivators for participation were access to healthier food and food security during pregnancy. 
• Participants experienced lower stress levels and improved overall health.
• Ongoing care coordination enhanced engagement, healthcare utilization, and retention.
• Despite higher baseline social risk, participants had no higher rate of poor pregnancy outcomes compared to a demographically similar group not in the program—suggesting potential positive impact from program participation. 

The full evaluation report can be accessed here along with a presentation of the findings accessed here.