Project Description
Organization:
Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital
Summary:
The Fresh Produce Prescription Program aims to reduce the risk of heart disease by making fresh produce accessible to participants in Monterey County. For the pilot program, five patients who had experienced a recent heart incident and wanted to change their lifestyle, enrolled in the Wellness Center and were given $25/week in Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Farmers’ Market cash over the course of 28 weeks. Participants’ weight, waist circumference, and body mass index were measured in 2014, showing improvement in the measurable indicators, and the program has since increased in 2015 to 30 participants and plans to increase participants through additional funding.