LRH Launches Food Prescription Pilot Program

LRH Launches Food Prescription Pilot Program through support of UCare Foundation 
[Fergus Falls, MN] The quality and availability of food has a powerful impact on overall health, and a new pilot program at Lake Region Healthcare (LRH) is designed to demonstrate this potential for people with diabetes. The Food RX pilot program will start in May through a partnership with Otter Tail County Public Health and a grant from the UCare Foundation.

“We continue to expand our Lifestyle Medicine program to equip people with education and tools to make healthy lifestyle choices to treat chronic conditions, and we think this Food Prescription program for people with diabetes has tremendous potential,” said Director of Wellness at LRH, Natalie Knutson.

Anyone with a diabetes diagnosis and a current A1C (blood test result measuring blood sugar level) of 8.0 or higher is eligible to apply. Participants will be able to pick up a box of food in Fergus Falls once every two weeks for six months, starting in mid-May. The boxes will include healthy food staples, and during summer months will include fresh produce from the LRH Community Garden, Lake Region Takes Root. Participants will receive recipes that call for the ingredients in the food boxes and will also be invited to participate in hands-on food prep and receive instruction on cooking and grocery shopping for better health.

“The connection between diet and health is so powerful. Access to high quality food is essential for people and communities to thrive, and there is good evidence behind food as medicine to improve health outcomes,” said Dr. Bruce Money, an Internal Medicine physician at Lake Region Healthcare who has recently also earned his Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine. “I am excited to write these food prescriptions for patients because we’re able to take the concept further than just encouraging people to eat healthier. Here we can remove barriers people might have to accessing healthy food and also teach basic useful skills. We’re not just “giving a man a fish” as they say, we’re able to teach him how to shop for and cook the healthiest version of that fish as well.”

People who are interested and believe they meet the eligibility requirements can learn more and register by visiting https://www.lrhc.org/foodrx/. The program starts on May 15th and registration is limited to the first 30 eligible applicants.

About the Lake Region Healthcare Enterprise
The Lake Region Healthcare (LRH) enterprise is an independent, community owned and governed, non-profit healthcare organization headquartered in Fergus Falls. With facilities in eight communities, the midsized rural health system primarily serves five counties in west central Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. The enterprise operates two hospitals (in Fergus Falls and Elbow Lake), nine clinics, a cancer center, a senior living community (Mill Street Residence), and various other health and wellness related ventures. With over 1,100 employees and 120 Physicians and Advance Practice Providers, we are dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of our communities close to home and delivering specialty and sub-specialty services at our locations in Fergus Falls, Elbow Lake, Ashby, Barnesville, Battle Lake, Evansville, Herman, and Morris, MN. For more information visit: www.lrhc.org and https://millstreet.lrhc.org.

Our Mission: We partner to enrich life through health.

Our Vision: We will create an exceptional, innovative, and personal healthcare experience that allows people to excel and our communities to thrive.

Our Values: Excellence, Person-Centered, Collaboration, Stewardship, Integrity, Respect, Innovation.

About UCare Foundation
Since 1998, the UCare Foundation has improved the lives of UCare members and communities through grants that address critical community needs, focusing on initiatives that improve the health of underserved individuals.
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