NW Michigan Food and Farming Network Report to the Community 2015 Report to the Community | Page 54
Food and Farming network
Food, Farms & Health
Program connects
local food and wellness
By Diane Conners
Michigan Land Use Institute
Everyone’s heard the saying: An
apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Now, the Michigan Land Use
Institute, Munson Healthcare, MSU
Extension, health departments, employee wellness coordinators, schools,
farms, and others in the region are
working to connect the dots between
locally grown food, health care, and
wellness in the region.
An October 2013 event, called
“Food, Farms & Health,” was the
launch of the effort and it was attended by about 120 people from all
of those sectors.
One of the innovative ideas showcased Washtenaw County Public
Health’s use of fruit and vegetable
prescriptions to help people make
nutritious dietary changes. It also
provides patients with tokens to
spend like cash on fruits and vegeta-
Washtenaw
County Public
Health, uses the
persuasive power of
a fruit and vegetable
prescription to
help people make
nutritious dietary
changes.
A slide from the 2014 Food, Farms & Health conference highlights St. Joseph
Hospital’s innovative garden program. (Photo: St. Joseph Hospital)
bles at farmers markets. Last year, 89
percent of the 151 patients who participated said it helped them to better
manage a health condition, and it
put $6,875 into the local economy.
Now, a Munson-affiliated initiative
called Shape Up North is working to
create a culture of health in our community. They are discussing possible
implementation of a similar prescription program here.
Other ideas included:
• A health insurance program in
Wisconsin in which three insurance companies provide rebates
for subscriptions to Community
Supported Agriculture farms as a
wellness benefit choice similar to
a gym membership.
• Hospital models for significantly
increasing institutional purchases
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of locally grown products (Beaumont and Bronson hospitals in
Royal Oak and Kalamazoo) or
for using local food and gardens
to promote healthy eating (Munson and St. Joseph hospitals in
Traverse City and Ann Arbor).
• Farm to Senior programs getting
local food into Senior Center
meals (Petoskey’s Friendship
Center) and Meals on Wheels
(Traverse City’s Goodwill Industries.)
• A proposed regional buying
cooperative for food pantries and
the 10 Cents a Meal program for
schools to purchase locally grown
food.
To learn more and get involved,
contact [email protected].
www.mlui.org/food-farming/