February 7, 2025

Bodyweight Blueprint

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NE FL doctors prescribe healthy food to low-income patients

In its place of producing prescriptions for drugs, medical practitioners write them for vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — We’re made use of to health professionals composing prescriptions for prescription drugs to enable with persistent problems, but how about having a treatment prepare of wholesome meals?

Medical practitioners at UF Health and fitness Jacksonville are supplying small-money patients prescriptions for foods, which they decide on up from the on-web site pharmacy. 

“We’re in our food items pharmacy. I oversee our neighborhood clinics that just take care of men and women who are largely in the urban main who facial area the most disparities in Jacksonville,” stated Dr. Ross Jones, medical director of neighborhood well being at UF Overall health Jacksonville. 

The new food stuff pharmacy is portion of UF Health’s Whole Care Clinic, which will help sufferers at 200% of the poverty line or underneath. That is a lot less than $53,000 a 12 months for a loved ones of 4. 

“One of the issues about our patients is that several of them reside in meals deserts the place they really don’t have entry to make,” Jones said. 

Alternatively of crafting prescriptions for medications, doctors compose them for veggies, fruits, and lean proteins. They hope this program opens the doorway to a new healthy way of living.

“Yes, we can produce you prescriptions for the most recent and best medication, but it’s also about the foods you take in for the reason that food is medication as properly,” Jones claimed.

UF Wellness suggests 96 clients are portion of the six-month program and get their food stuff prescription just about every two months. 

“For instance, with a situation this sort of as diabetic issues, what we would generate for is a diet plan lower in carbs. We wouldn’t give them rice, bread, and pasta,” Jones explained. “We’d consider to thrust them more into the fresh fruits and greens and the lean meats like the hen we have in the freezers below.”

The food pharmacy fees about $250,000 a yr to run, and it really is paid out as a result of donations from several organizations, such as Florida Blue. 

“It is an option for dignity and respect,” claimed Ann-Marie Knight, vice president for group engagement at UF Overall health Jacksonville. 

People at the well being business imagine it’s the very first of its form system at any healthcare facility in Florida. 

“We are a lot more than inclined to invite other hospitals and other healthcare vendors in to see the product due to the fact we never want to be the only kinds in this house, particularly when we know we’re earning an effect in our group,” Knight said.

The foods pharmacy introduced this thirty day period and presently has a waiting listing of 100 sufferers. 

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