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 notch produce…

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 notch produce prescriptionproject is a 3-year research collaboration between medical clinics of northern tier center for health (notch) and strategic grocery retail partners to reduce healthcare use and associated costs and to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables for at risk individuals in northwestern, vermont. Foundational project partners in richford, vermont, are owned and operated by a federally qualified health center (fqhc) and CO-located in the same building. In 2020, 36% of richford residents had been told at some point they have high blood pressure, and according to 2020 data, 11% had been told they have diabetes. Evidence indicates a healthy diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables can prevent and improve diet-related health conditions. Additionally, this community has a low-income population rate of 43.7%, which is higher than the state average, and increased rate of patients screening for food insecurity compared to other communities in northwesternbased on recent data. This comprehensive program will involve: 225 gusnip eligible patients, nutrition consults, produce prescriptions ($20 each week/participant/years; dosage based on general disbursement model and amount used by a number of gusnip-funded programs), and tools, and self-management resources. Program modeling for this collaboration will be the basis for program expansion in other local communities during the funded period. This project will collect information from patients at the point of care (labs, blood pressure measurements, etc.) and self-reported data from patients using pre- and post-survey activities to measure change and/or improvement in health status, food security status, food agency/resources, and dietary pattern change. This project will also track patient utilization of health services (primary care visits, no-show appointment rates, etc.), in evaluating the impact a produce prescription program may have on healthcare costs.