Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the arizona community health…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** the arizona community health workers association, will lead comiendo fresco CF- eating fresh in douglas, arizona, an under-resourced, primarily hispanic (mexican-american) rural community in cochise county on the U.S.-mexico border. Leveraging community assets, CF will bring together diverse partners: chiricahua community health centers, cochise health and social services, university of arizona cooperative extension-cochise, seago area agency on aging, the city of douglas, UA center for rural health, local vendors and an active coalition, to steer, implement and evaluate the PPR. The community of focus has high rates of dietary-related health conditions, food/nutrition insecurity, social vulnerability, and limited access to fruits and vegetables (FV). CF will expand FV access and purchasing from local vendors to 150 eligible participants through weekly $20 vouchers over 9 months across three cohorts. Participants will receive culturally centered nutrition education and related activities, support from community health workers (chws) to address health related social needs (hrsn) that influence dietary patterns and health outcomes. Improvements in participants' FV consumption and nutrition knowledge/skills will be evaluated, along with reduced hrsn via CHW support. Health improvement will be assessed by participants' self-reported health status and pre/post changes on health condition biomarkers (HBA1C, blood pressure and BMI). Local access to FV, impacts on food/nutrition insecurity and changes in policies, systems and environments will assessed, as well as impacts on preventable hospital visits and associated costs, the local economy and food system. Ultimately, comiendo fresco PPR will benefit the community by building a more sustainable, integrated health and food system.