Following a similar move by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital has opened a food pharmacy for its oncology patients, according to the Nashville Post.
The food pharmacy, which will offer patients free healthy foods, will mainly serve patients in the hospital's oncology department getting chemotherapy treatment. But hospital leaders said the food pharmacy will also be able to support malnourished patients and those with hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.
The decision to create a food pharmacy came after a community needs assessment identified three major needs for patients, including access to healthier foods, access to healthy food sources and assistance with buying healthy food.
Additionally, hospital leaders pointed to research that found cancer patients who maintain their weight or lose the least amount of weight during treatment are less likely to develop toxicities.
Read the full report here.