Food is medicine programs are trending among U.S. hospitals, according to the American Hospital Association.
Created in 2001, Boston Medical Center's Preventive Food Pantry is the nation's first hospital-based therapeutic food pantry. Here are five key facts about the program:
1. The pantry aims to address nutrition-related illness and under-nutrition for low-income patients, according to its website.
2. Primary care providers at Boston Medical Center can write "prescriptions" for supplemental foods, and common patients for this initiative include those with cancer, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other chronic conditions.
For example, a diabetic patient might receive whole-grain pasta and brown rice, according to a Sept. 20 report from Reasons to be Cheerful, a nonprofit online magazine.
3. The pantry was designed to serve 500 people each month; it now sees more than 6,200 people every month.
4. Boston Medical Center does not track health outcomes tied to the Preventive Food Pantry, but it surveys customers about their experiences. Ninety percent report satisfaction.
5. The hospital has a rooftop farm, and of the 5,000 to 6,000 pounds of vegetables harvested on its farm, 70% of the produce goes through the pantry.