The program hopes to address the widespread problem of food insecurity and 'food deserts' in some urban areas.
Maywood, Illinois-based Loyola Medicine is giving its low-income patients a free, 10-pound basket of fresh vegetables every week, along with recipes, nutrition classes and cooking shows.
The program, VeggieRx, is a collaboration with Loyola University Chicago, Proviso Partners for Health, and Windy City Harvest, the urban agriculture education and jobs-training initiative that operates urban farms in Chicagoland.
"The vegetables vary each week, depending on what's being harvested in the urban farms," Brittany Calendo, Windy City Harvest's VeggieRx coordinator, said in a media release.
"For example, the vegetables given away one recent Thursday included leeks, scallions, purple top turnips, beets, collards, cabbage and garlic, along with information on how to store and prepare them," Calendo said.
Related: BCBS Pilot Targets Chicago, Dallas 'Food Deserts' for Affordable Meals
Related: Lyft Expands Grocery Access Program to Combat 'Food Deserts'
VeggieRx gives away vegetables during the harvest, and participants also get coupons to double food stamp purchases at Windy City Harvest farm stands
In addition, each week registered dietitian Mary Mora with Proviso Partners for Health does a cooking class for the week's featured vegetables, and gives a nutrition talk on topics such as sugar, sodium, heart-healthy fats and reading food labels
Lena Hatchett, executive lead of Proviso Partners for Health, said VeggieRx addresses the widespread problem of food insecurity and food deserts in some urban areas, which affects many low-income people.
Hatchett and her colleagues are gathering data to test their premise that VeggieRx will prove to be a cost-effective way to reduce the toll of obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
"We believe a small investment in food will have a large benefit in people's health," Hatchett said.
“We believe a small investment in food will have a large benefit in people's health.”
Lena Hatchett, Proviso Partners for Health
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
VeggieRx, is a collaboration with Loyola University Chicago, Proviso Partners for Health, and Windy City Harvest, the urban agriculture education and jobs-training initiative that operates urban farms in Chicagoland.
Each week a registered dietitian does a cooking class for the week's featured vegetables, and gives a nutrition talk on topics such as sugar, sodium, heart-healthy fats and reading food labels.
The project is gathering data to test a premise that VeggieRx will prove to be a cost-effective way to reduce the toll of obesity-related conditions.