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4 Ways to Engage with Patients, Nutritionally

 |  By Marianne@example.com  
   October 03, 2012

A growing number of hospitals and health systems have been hosting, sponsoring, and promoting farmers markets, and it's no wonder why. Farmers markets are a great way to promote healthful nutrition, support locally grown agriculture, and engage the community with your brand.

As we come into fall–prime farmers' market season–it's important to consider how your organization can best take advantage of this positive engagement opportunity.

There's a lot more to it than selling fresh fruits and veggies and pasting your logo on a few signs. I'm seeing four key strategies employed by hospitals and health systems to involve and engage patients in their farmers markets.

1.Improve disease management

Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River, MA, is piloting an innovative approach to farmers'  markets by “prescribing” at-risk patients fruits and vegetables that they can fill–for free–at the hospital's weekly market, which is held outside its main entrance.

The program targets those who have or are at risk for developing diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease.

The program will initially focus on patients age 65 and older who suffer from two or more of the specified diagnoses and demonstrate that they will adhere to their doctor's health care plan.

In addition to obtaining healthful food at the farmers' market, these patients will also be required to work with a hospital dietician and visit their doctor on a monthly basis. Through the program, up to four family members are also eligible to receive one free serving of fruits and vegetables a day.

“We really want to decrease hospital utilization, so it's about focusing on keeping people and their families healthy,” Susan Oldrid, the program coordinator, told a local paper. “For this to be a success for our patients, we need to provide a lot of support, and it has to be ongoing.”

This is the most inventive, and potentially the most effective, use of a hospital-sponsored farmers' market that I've seen. It's thinking like this that will set an organization's brand and outcomes apart from its competitors.

2.Conduct on-site health screenings

Anyone visiting  a farmers' market already has healthy living on their mind, which makes it the perfect time to give shoppers the opportunity to learn more about their health.

Ohio's Parma Hospital is hosting its first farmers' market this week and will offer a variety of health screenings to community members.

Setting up a few screening booths in highly visible areas is a great way to remind shoppers that a healthcare provider is sponsoring the market and that the health of the community is important to your organization.

After screening for blood pressure, BMI, and other measures,  capitalize on the interaction by prompting the patient to take the next step, such as visiting your website, joining your email list, or scheduling an appointment.

3.Introduce population health initiatives

Baptist Memorial Hospital–DeSoto in Mississippi used its farmers' market to launch an initiative promoting healthier lifestyles. The one-off farmers' market, held in August, attracted more than 500 community members.

"We have to start helping people live healthier lives, and this farmers' market was a great way to remind the community how important a heart-healthy diet is. And it gave us an opportunity to have the farmers in the community sell some of their goods. So all around it was a great success and we hope to do more projects like that," Arie Szatkowski, MD, quality medical director told The Commercial Appeal.

The hospital hopes to parlay that success into a 12-week program called HEAL (Healthy Eating, Active Lifestyles), which it is overseeing in conjunction with the local parks and recreation department. 

4.Emphasize importance of healthy eating

Using a farmers' market to promote the importance of healthy eating may seem like a no-brainer, but it's the most natural way to relate the market back to your organization. Instead of simply posting signs with your logo, include branded signage with healthy eating tips, simple recipes, or even nutritional information.

California-based Kaiser Permanente, which hosts more than 50 farmers markets and farm stands at its hospitals and healthcare facilities, cites a Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development survey that found 74% of patrons surveyed at farmers markets consumed more fruits and vegetables as a result of shopping at the market. Another 71% reported eating a greater variety of fruits and vegetables.

"We recognize that locally grown food from family farms is less taxing on the environment and ultimately healthier for those who grow and eat the food," Jan Villarante, Kaiser Permanente's director of national nutrition, said in a statement. "We've seen overwhelming evidence that when people have access to farmers' markets, they will take advantage of the market produce and increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables."

Taking the next step beyond hosting or sponsoring a farmers' market will help cement a positive impression of your brand in the eyes of patients and community members.

And, if you coordinate with other internal and external departments and organizations, farmers' markets can truly become a jumping off point to improve the health of your community.

Marianne Aiello is a contributing writer at HealthLeaders Media.

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