The 2018 Cox Corporate Social Responsibility Report CEI_2018_CSR_Report | Page 46

COX GIVING
An Apple (or More) a Day
Grady Health System in Atlanta treats hundreds of thousands of patients yearly.
Like half of all Americans, many Grady patients experience chronic illnesses,
which are often made worse by poor nutrition. Inadequate nutrition is often
caused by lack of access to fresh, healthy food.
With a $1.35 million grant, the James M. Cox Foundation is supporting the
launch of the Food as Medicine Partnership at Grady. Grady will lead the
program along with Open Hand Atlanta, Wholesome Wave Georgia and the
Atlanta Community Food Bank. The Partnership builds upon the fruit and
vegetable prescription (FVRx) program created by Wholesome Wave Georgia,
which allows healthcare providers to write “prescriptions” that can be filled
with fresh food at local farmers’ markets.
The project involves the transformation of a space formerly occupied by a fast
food restaurant on the hospital’s campus to include an on-site farmers’ market
and food pharmacy where patients can redeem their “prescriptions.” The space
also includes a teaching kitchen where they can learn to prepare healthy meals
and a healthy café making fresh prepared meals and produce available to staff,
patient families and the general public. “Chronic diseases such as diabetes and
hypertension can be prevented or mitigated with a healthy diet,” says John
M. Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System. “The James M. Cox
Foundation has a long history of supporting Grady, and this generous grant has
the potential to have a generational impact, as we improve the health, habits
and quality of life for our patients and their families.”
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