HAZARD, KY. — The important role nutritious foods play in good health was the focus of a recent Food is Medicine event attended by more than 250 employees, community members and patients on the campus of Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell was on hand for the event, signing a special National Farmers Market Week Proclamation as ARH hosted a Farmer’s Market, inviting farmers, employees and community members to shop for locally grown fresh produce and attend a healthy cooking demo featuring Commissioner Shell and ARH President and CEO Hollie Harris.

“Access to nutritious food is critical to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” says Commissioner Shell. “Food is Medicine is a concept that reaffirms this connection. Hosting farmer’s markets and allowing patients and employees to have access to healthy food options is a big deal and an initiative as Commissioner, I support and promote.”

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is joining forces with the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) to develop a “Food is Medicine” campaign focusing on the power of food and its connection to healthier living. Farmer’s markets, vouchers for senior citizens and diabetics to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables as well as raising awareness in the region are just some of the ways ARH is helping with this campaign.

Harris, who was named earlier this year as co-chair for the new state-wide Food is Medicine campaign, says that as the largest provider of care in southeastern Kentucky, ARH’s responsibility should go beyond just treating illnesses. Improving access to nutritious foods and the knowledge of their benefits to good health is a great start for people to begin living a healthier lifestyle.

“We are excited to host this event with our local farmers and have Commissioner Shell on site so that he could meet the people we serve and the farmers who are aiding in our Food is Medicine initiative,” Harris says. “Discussing how we can use nutritious, Kentucky-produced foods to help our people is an important step toward improving the health of our region.”

The initiative looks at the food the hospital is serving, creating partnerships with the hospital and local farmers, as well as creating outreach for patients who might have special dietary needs.

“If you talk with any healthcare provider, they say they would much rather do checkups and well-care than prescribe medication. Our goal is to provide access to as much healthy food as possible so that it becomes a way of life in this region, while also involving our local farmers. This is a long-term project with a long-term goal,” says Snell. 

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Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), is a not-for-profit health system operating 14 hospitals in Barbourville, Hazard, Harlan, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, as well as multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores and retail pharmacies and medical spas. ARH employs approximately 6,700 people with an annual payroll and benefits of $474 million generated into our local economies. ARH also has a network of more than 1,300 providers on staff across its multi-state system. ARH is the largest provider of care and the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky, and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.