Food Pharmacies: Insights For Arts Prescriptions

As we continue our efforts to bring Social Prescribing to Hampton Roads, particularly as it relates to Healing Arts Prescriptions, we find it valuable to examine existing initiatives that are already addressing social determinants of health. Social Prescribing is an approach where healthcare providers recommend non-clinical interventions, such as art or cultural engagements, to address social and environmental factors that impact health. One? example of this is food pharmacies, which involve the use of food prescriptions to improve health outcomes. In this article, we’ll explore lessons from food pharmacy programs in the United States to inform our efforts in creating Arts Prescriptions tailored to our community.

Food prescriptions are recommendations written by healthcare providers to prescribe specific foods as a treatment for chronic conditions. These prescriptions are then filled through vouchers, food pantries, farmers’ markets, or mobile food vendors at little to no cost to participants. Food pharmacy programs address food insecurity and improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables, thereby targeting key social determinants of health including food deserts, economic instability, and medically underserved areas.

Studies have demonstrated benefits of these programs where participants often show improved BMI and other markers of cardiovascular health. Programs providing $10 weekly vouchers or 3 daily servings of fruits and vegetables have been particularly effective. In addition to offering economic incentives, the built-in social reinforcement from healthcare providers and consistent follow-ups during clinic visits help build long-term habits. The addition of counseling and community-level interventions provide further social support encouraging individuals to take an active role in their health.? Strong collaborative partnerships between healthcare organizations and community groups is critical to the success of food pharmacy programs.?

While food pharmacy programs tout much success, the sustainability of such programs face challenges related to issues including consistent funding, transportation, geographic accessibility, and inclusivity. The focus on maintaining social support systems remains critical to ensuring that participants remain motivated and engaged over time.?

We are excited to see the Hampton Roads community starting to engage in food pharmacy programs with the recent unveiling of a collaboration between the Sentara Health Community Care Center and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and Eastern Shore. This collaboration connects patients with fresh produce and essential groceries, creating a powerful model of how healthcare systems can directly address food insecurity.? Collaborations such as these are a pivotal step forward in our goal of creating a similar model for increasing accessibility to the healing arts in Hampton Roads.

Just as food pharmacies address food deserts, Arts Prescriptions would target “art deserts,” areas lacking access to creative and cultural opportunities. We know that arts engagement has a multitude of physical, mental and emotional health benefits including stress reduction, improvements to physical mobility, and combating the loneliness epidemic through nurturing community involvement.?

Adapting lessons learned through food pharmacy programs - lessons contributing to the success of these programs as well as addressing known barriers - can guide the successful implementation of Arts Prescriptions programs in Hampton Roads.??

Key elements to keep in mind as we move forward in this initiative are:

• The vital role of healthcare providers using their trusted voices to recommend and prescribe arts and cultural engagement activities as part of holistic treatment plans
• Building strong collaborations between healthcare systems, local arts organizations, and community foundations to ensure accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability
• Behavioral and social frameworks to ensure repeated engagements and community reinforcement
• Economic incentives offering free or low-cost arts programming

By adapting these successful elements of food pharmacies and addressing barriers like funding, transportation, and inclusivity, we can build a sustainable and impactful model for Arts Prescriptions. The healing arts—whether through creating or experiencing music, visual art, or other forms of creative expression—hold immense potential to improve mental and physical health outcomes. With initiatives like Sentara’s food pharmacy program already making strides in addressing social determinants of health in Hampton Roads, we have a solid foundation to build upon as we continue to work on expanding access to the healing arts for children, caregivers, and communities in our region.

We invite you to get involved in our efforts:

• Learn?more about Social Prescribing:? https://www.benjamingoldbergfoundation.org/socialrx?
• Join?the Hampton Roads Social Prescribing Network: email [email protected]
• Donate?to support our initiatives: https://benjamingoldbergfoundation.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate

References

Bourenane K, Emon N. (2024). Current State of Food Prescriptions Used to Treat Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in the US Adult Population. Cureus.

Donohue JA, Severson T, Martin LP. (2021). The food pharmacy: Theory, implementation, and opportunities. Am J Prev Cardiol.

Haslam A, Gill J, Taniguchi T, Love C, Jernigan VB. (2022). The effect of food prescription programs on chronic disease management in primarily low-income populations. Nutr Health.

Sentara Healthcare. (2024). Sentara strengthens Foodbank partnership in Norfolk. Retrieved from https://www.sentara.com/aboutus/news/articles/Sentara-strengthens-Foodbank-partnership-in-Norfolk?

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