CoxHealth and Springfield Community Gardens implement CSA program to assist SNAP-eligible patients

A USDA grant gave Springfield Community Gardens (SCG) and CoxHealth an opportunity to partner on a pilot Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to support approximately 100 SNAP-eligible patients through healthy food and education.

The prescription box program, titled HealthScripts, will provide select patients with a weekly produce box filled with locally-grown fruits and vegetables. In addition to the food, participants will regularly meet with CoxHealth physicians and receive medical education and support throughout the program.

SCG has received funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GUSNIP) Produce Prescription Program to implement a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

“If we look around just a bit, we see an alarming number of our neighbors going without adequate food, a state that leads to demonstrable health detriments. The HealthScripts program is an effort at stemming the tide of this blight to Southwest Missouri,” says Dr. Mark Ellis, physician at the CoxHealth East Battlefield Clinic. “Our partnership aims to provide a sustainable combination of food relief and education that we hope and believe will truly help the families we aim to serve.”

This pilot project builds upon the partnership between CoxHealth and SCG in an effort to directly connect low-income patients with a prescribed weekly produce box, along with group support and check-ins with physicians and medical students.

“CoxHealth and our community partners seek to improve the health of those we have the privilege to serve. Achieving optimal health begins with a healthy diet,” says Jesse Baedke, system director Food Services. “We are excited to be able to promote increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables provided through the HealthScripts program.”

Along with receiving weekly produce boxes and medical support, SNAP-enrolled participants will gain access to recipes and resources for storing and preparing healthy meals to increase their nutrition education and ensure better lifelong health.

“As family medicine physicians, we believe optimal health and wellness are rooted in our connections to each other,” says Dr. Katie Davenport-Kabonic, faculty physician at the CoxHealth Family Medicine Residency Family Medical Care Center. “This program is centered on connection – whether it be through community partners or creating connections with patients. Our hope to take intentional strides together towards sustainable health and wellness practices for all.”

CoxHealth and SCG are currently in the process of finalizing participating patients and intend to begin distributing boxes in the coming months.

Learn more about GUSNIP on the USDA’s website.

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