Hawaii patients may soon get prescriptions for fresh food from doctors

More than 100,000 Hawaii residents who qualify for Medicaid may soon find their doctors prescribing them fresh food as medicine.

The script could be for fresh fruit and vegetables, even ahi, beef, chicken and eggs. The federally funded initiative will start as soon as January as part of a special state Medicaid program aimed at addressing chronic diet-related health issues in low-income communities.

The Food Is Medicine program could help many in Hawaii, where 1 in 3 households have limited access to safe, affordable and nutritious food. It could also boost the local agricultural sector, as state advocacy and health groups have tailored the program to promote the use of local produce, which could inject millions of dollars into the economy and create almost 1,000 new jobs.

“It’s really a no-brainer,” said Alicia Higa, chief health equity officer at Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. “If there’s an opportunity to give food as medicine to our people, we should absolutely be using that money to support the local farmers. We’ll have an increased food supply and we’ll be much better off. … Not to mention it’s the pono thing to do.”

Conventional medicine has long turned a blind eye to the…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health