M Health Fairview is using food as medicine through its partnership with local farms.

Loving where we live means enjoying the vegetation our natural places offer. Nutrition is at the forefront of M Health Fairview’s mind as nutritious foods are the key to good health. However, for many families in Minnesota, it is difficult to consistently afford and access fresh, organic, and sustainably grown foods. That is why M Health Fairview partners with local, BIPOC-owned farms, such as the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA), to source produce for patients who are experiencing food insecurity. Food-insecure patients can leave their doctor appointments with free boxes of locally grown, culturally appropriate produce, or nutritious food kits with all the ingredients needed to cook meals at home.

On Oct. 11, providers and employees from M Health Fairview’s Food Is Medicine program sites got a chance to see where and how the produce is sourced. Farm trip attendees visited HAFA’s 155-acre farm in Hastings and rode around the fields in a tractor, heard from HAFA farmers, and enjoyed a true farm-to-table meal served in a barn venue.

“We were so excited to be able to offer farm tours again,” says Terese Hill, manager of food system strategy for Community Advancement. “Employees and providers love seeing firsthand where the produce is grown, getting to talk with the farmers, and sharing a meal with our partners in this work.”

Through initiatives like this, M Health Fairview’s Food is Medicine programs foster cooking skills, create a local system of farm-to-family food distribution, and decrease food insecurity. The result is a systemic solution for healthy food access across the Twin Cities.

“As anchor institutions, M Health Fairview is committed to addressing the social determinants of health, such as access to nutritious food, and investing in the social and economic wellbeing of our communities,” says John Swanholm, vice president of Community Advancement. “Our Food is Medicine programs are making an impact in the community by offering fresh produce and meal kits to people who are food insecure, providing youth paid workforce development opportunities, and supporting our local food economy through purchasing from local, BIPOC farmers.”

M Health Fairview exemplifies the Upstream value of equity in access ensuring all Minnesotans have access to the benefits of our natural places.