The organic produce grown at the Allegheny Mountain Institute Farm at Fishersville, Va.-based Augusta Health not only provides patients and community residents with healthy options—it’s essential for immunocompromised patients, according to the News-Leader.
The farm sits on the former Yoder Farm on Augusta Health's campus, and was founded as partnership between Augusta Health and the Allegheny Mountain Institute after the health system conducted a needs assessment that showed community residents did not have access to nutritious food.
Eighty percent of the farm's harvest goes to the hospital's cafeteria, while the rest goes to their "Food Farmacy" program that provides at-risk chronically ill patients with fresh produce and nutritional education.
The farm harvests 20 produce varieties and serves various community functions, including hosting gardening and cooking classes.