As our food system has evolved, more households are turning to foods of convenience, which often means processed, nutrient-poor items. This, in addition to access challenges create significant issues for our communities. While Indiana is the eighth largest agricultural producing state in America, 1 in 7 Hoosiers face food insecurity.
In this video, we unpack VeggieRx, an exciting Parkview program aimed at offering affordable, healthful options to those who need it most.
A local crisis
“I think there's a sense of pride being a Fort Wayne local, getting to take care of Fort Wayne residents,” Dr. Eric Shoemaker, PPG – Family Medicine, said. “We think we're a big city, so we shouldn't have food deserts, but we very much do.”
Karen Petersen, executive director, Northeast Indiana Local Food Network, shared that sourcing can be complicated. “More than 95% of the fruits and vegetables that Hoosiers eat come from out of state,” she said. “Amongst all this agriculture, that's really surprising. In the region that our organization serves, which is an 11-county region, there are over a 100,000 people who are food insecure. Especially in an area like this, where there's so much farmland and people are growing so many things, to know that you've got a neighbor that doesn't have enough food, is unbelievable.”
An astonishing 12.6% of the Allen County population is food insecure. That’s 46,500 people.
“People think food insecurity doesn't happen near them, Michelle Bojrab-Wray, VeggieRx project director, Parkview Health, said. “Coming from a clinical background, I saw that there was a gap in access as well as understanding.”
Karen agreed that much of the problem is one of knowledge. “You gravitate towards what's nearby and what's convenient, and unfortunately those aren't always the healthiest options.”
And these food choices can have detrimental effects. “Meals of convenience are often high in fat and unhealthy fats that lead to cardiovascular disease, resulting in heart attack and stroke,” Dr. Shoemaker said. Poor diet is a leading cause of disability and death in America, with chronic disease spending accounting for 90% of healthcare costs.
The role of VeggieRx
“Originally, VeggieRx started as a small pilot program, serving a pretty small number of patients back in 2019,” Lauren Knoop, VeggieRx project coordinator, Parkview Health, said.
Today, VeggieRx* is a produce prescription program, developed with food-as-medicine philosophy. Parkview providers can offer access and education to those who are food insecure with a diet-related chronic illness.
“Eating healthy is the foundation,” Dr. Shoemaker said. “We need proper nutrients. We need protein, fats and carbohydrates. Those are the building blocks of what we are made of as humans. Programs like VeggieRx help me offer something I can't put in a pill bottle.”
Additionally, the VeggieRx food network supports our local growers and producers, which benefits our communities economically.
How it works
Michelle explained that patients receive a card in the mail from Fresh Connect, which is how they will shop for their fresh fruits and vegetables.
Due to the success of the program, VeggieRx went from having three farm stands using paper vouchers to over 70 redemption locations in Fort Wayne.
“Since 2022, we have seen an economic impact of $220,000 going back into the local economy through VeggieRx redemption,” Michelle said. “A simple prescription for fresh fruits and vegetables has been so effective. The community loves it, and the providers love it as well.”
But what about the understanding piece? After a provider puts in the referral, which gives the patient six months of produce, they also get access to the VeggieRx programming.
“People want to know what to do with the product that they’re getting,” Michelle explained. “So, we have classes to help patients understand, one, their health condition, and two, how to utilize the fresh produce.”
This supports adoption. “It reduces the risk of trying something new,” Lauren said. “They're right here in our learning kitchen.”
It also means patients can connect on a different level with their provider. “It allows me to have a conversation about healthy diet and then not feel helpless that I can't do anything about it,” Dr. Shoemaker said. “I can refer them to the program and help my patients actually be successful.”
The VeggieRx difference
As organizers and facilitators have seen, nutrition incentive programs, like VeggieRx, go a long way in closing the gap and creating solutions.
Metrics of success include improved blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar numbers, more wellness visits and fewer trips to the ER, and weight loss.
“We’ve had people say that they ost weight, which made them feel healthier and better enough to return to work. We've seen the improvement it makes on the whole community. It's not just changing one person.”
Dr. Shoemaker agreed. “Parkview sees the value in creating healthier communities, and by creating spaces like the Community Greenhouse and Learning Kitchen, we're showing what that can be, living authentically as an organization. We understand the basic needs of our community and we're here and we're invested. Because healthcare is more than just a prescription pad. It's truly being a community presence, creating access and an environment where it’s safe to learn.”
Learn more about the VeggieRx program by visiting here here.
*This work is supported by the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program grant, project award no. 2021-70030-35744/accession no. 1027356 and project award no. 2022-70423-38070/accession no.1029138 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
