The FreshRx program recently completed its spring cohort in Santa Fe and connected 32 patients from La Familia Medical Center to locally grown produce from New Mexico growers. FreshRx is a produce prescription program run by the NMFMA that provides incentives for patients to complement their current medical care by providing nutritious, New Mexico grown produce. Patients with diet-related illnesses, such as obesity, heart disease, or hypertension, can add more vegetables and fruits to their meals through FreshRx, which assists in managing their condition.
This spring, La Familia patients received weekly produce bags for 10 weeks from the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market. Nutrition education materials and recipes were provided, and participants were invited to attend a cooking demonstration from Cooking with Kids
When asked about their participation in the FreshRx program, Debbie Burns, Santa Fe Farmers’ Market manager stated, “This program is helpful in so many ways. It helps connect the market to the community, helps the farmers by providing more product outlets, and it helps the customers receiving the produce in living healthier lives.”
La Familia Medical Center also shared about the success of the program. Care Coordinator Alondra Hernandez said, “Patients are committed to changing their lifestyle, and are grateful and excited for the produce bags every week. Fruit is always a big hit, but patients are also interested in trying new vegetables that show up in the bags each week.”
Cooking with Kids has partnered with FreshRx for several years, providing cooking demonstrations at FreshRx clinics and farmers’ markets in Northern New Mexico. The organization educates and empowers children and families to make healthy food choices through hands-on nutrition education with fresh, affordable foods. Spring cohort FreshRx participants were able to taste test all of the fresh produce provided to them from the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, and took home ideas of how to use all of the local goodness.
FreshRx is grounded in the idea that food is medicine and in the conviction that everyone has the right to access high-quality, healthy food. FreshRx is preparing for the next cohort of participants for the summer session that will take place in partnership with Presbyterian and First Choice Community Health in the South Valley, Albuquerque to provide produce bags to the Smart Moves Program. Look for more on the program as the summer continues.
