A produce prescription program is equipping West Virginians with the knowledge to fight and prevent disease with nutritious foods.
written by SASHA DOBEK
West Virginia leads the nation in type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. With food deserts present in 43 out of 55 counties, West Virginians are battling food insecurities and the higher mortality rates that go along with them. That is why FARMacy WV is dedicated to educating people who are affected by poor nutrition how to plan, prepare, and gain the health benefits of cooking with fresh and local produce.
FARMacy WV began in 2016 at the free Health Right clinic in Wheeling. It provides access to fresh, locally grown produce for patients who are referred from rural clinics, hospitals, and physician practices. Expanded to 30 sites in 26 counties as of 2023, the program offers 15 weeks of fresh produce provided by local farmers, growers, and aggregators in conjunction with a nine-week nutrition and cooking skills educational program provided by the Family Nutrition Program at West Virginia University’s Extension office.
Patients are referred to the program based on eligibility and clinic sizes. Referrals of those who suffer from diabetes, prediabetes, and food and nutrition insecurity are the main priorities, but eligibility is ultimately medical facility–specific and may be extended to those suffering from other chronic conditions, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. Considering that one in six adults and one in four children experience food insecurity in the state, the program goes beyond providing nutritious foods by helping patients understand how the produce they are being provided can be prepared. “A lot of patients have never even been exposed to certain types of produce,” says Family physician and FARMacy WV co-founder Carol Antonelli-Greco, “and it helps them understand why it’s important to eat healthy and how eating healthy affects their disease process.”
The program is set up like a farmers market, where, on a weekly basis for the 15-week growing season, local growers set up for market-style distribution at participating clinics. For around two hours, patients are able to sign in, interact with the farmers and growers, learn how some of the produce is grown, and select the produce they want. “Whatever is available locally grown at that point is what patients are going to be supplied with,” Antonelli-Greco says, “and so they have autonomy of choice.” After this, patients head into the clinic site for their hands–on cooking and nutrition program.
FARMacy WV sees the tangible benefits of behavioral changes in health metrics it collects pre- and post-program. Patients experience significant reduction in diabetic markers such as A1c levels, lipid levels, blood pressure, and body weight. “We’ve seen about a 0.9 reduction in hemoglobin A1c level, which doesn’t sound like a lot if you’re not diabetic, but it is a significant result, because most medications can’t say that they can lower a hemoglobin A1c level that way,” Antonelli-Greco says. “Also, total cholesterol levels are lowered anywhere between eight and 10 points. To see those results in a short period of time is remarkable.”
Produce prescription programs like FARMacy WV are shown to decrease health care costs by keeping people out of hospitals, emergency rooms, and doctors’ offices. Most of the program’s funding comes through a combination of grants, private foundations, and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, but the statewide FARMacy WV Planning Group is looking for more sustainable funding. “We’re never going to be able to expand this program to allow everybody who’s eligible to enter unless we get some form of sustainable funding,” Antonelli-Greco says, “which we feel should come from the Medicaid system.” For the past two years, the planning group’s goal has been to organize with other food-as-medicine groups throughout the state to promote legislative changes that would enable this program and others like it to grow.
The project has plans to expand in 2024 and beyond at 10 additional clinics. The FARMacy WV planning group helps to coordinate, organize, and implement these programs as additional clinics express interest. Farmers and growers can get involved by contacting FARMacy WV directly. Farmers benefit economically through guaranteed rates regardless of patient turnout. “They also benefit from the fact that they know they’re helping to improve the health of West Virginians,” says Antonelli-Greco. But the most benefits are seen by the patients and their families. Surveys show patients’ behavioral patterns shifting from fast and pre-prepared foods to more homemade meals and increased confidence when shopping for produce. Additional results show that food insecurities have improved. “I call it a trickle-down effect,” she says, “which means Mom or Dad may be the one who’s participating in this program, but in fact, the whole family is benefiting.”
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