TVHC Combats Health Disparities With Food Based Programs

Photo of popup food farmacy in the lobby of TVHC San Leandro

TVHC has launched two new programs that combat health disparities, including food insecurity, diabetes, and hypertension, that affect a large percentage of its patient population.

The first is the TVHC Wellness Market, which is held at the TVHC Hayward clinic and is in partnership with Stop Waste and the Alameda County Food Bank.

The TVHC Wellness Market is held every third Wednesday of the month and is free for TVHC patients and community members. The TVHC Wellness Market offers visitors free fresh produce, food demonstrations, health screenings, and additional information on resources available to help keep them healthy.

Patients and community members gather at the TVHC Wellness Market

The TVHC Wellness Market will run until August 2020.

The second program TVHC launched is Food As Medicine at its San Leandro clinic, which was made possible by partnering with Alameda Alliance, ALL IN Alameda County, Open Source Wellness, and Dig Deep Farms.

Dental Care Coordinator Nancy Manzo ready to inform visitors of the TVHC Wellness Market about dental services available to them.

The Food As Medicine program is a two-part model that consists of group medical visits every Wednesday and a pop-up Food FARMacy held Monday through Thursday, where patients can purchase locally sourced organic produce using a prescription from their provider.

The Food As Medicine program has made over 50 referrals to the Food Farmacy, and over 30 patients have attended the group medical visits, which include physical activity, a provider visit, and stress reduction techniques.

Patients learned the recipe then ate this nutrient packed plant-based meal made of quinoa, tofu and vegetables.

The group medical visits also have food demonstrations where patients learn how to make a nutrient-rich meal with ingredients that help combat diabetes and hypertension. The visit concludes with patients enjoying a fresh, healthy meal they learned how to prepare during the food demonstration.