JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Improving the lives of patients one bite at a time. That’s the goal of a food pharmacy at UF Health Jacksonville.
Action News Jax told you when it opened back in 2021.
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Now five in years in, doctors say patients are exceeding expectations and they hope to do more.
Michael Ladson went on a grocery run, combing the aisles of the UF Health Urban Health Alliance Food Pharmacy with registered dietician Dahnine Moyer as his guide.
“It’s always nice for people to have a choice because when you give people a choice, you’re actually empowering them to try new things,” Moyer said.
Ladson got a referral from his doctor to start shopping at the food pharmacy a few years ago to help improve his heart health along with other treatments.
“My eating habits have changed because I was eating a lot of canned vegetables and now I’m eating fresh vegetables,” Ladson said.
Dr. Chirag Patel, Northeast Florida Regional Chief Medical Officer, said the food pharmacy gives patients with chronic conditions access to free healthy foods and nutrition counseling, tackling food insecurity and improving health outcomes.
“Food is really the core of preventative care. It’s the start of things that help you avoid getting specific diseases. You may have heard food is medicine. It really is,” Patel said.
More than 160 patients are currently enrolled in the program and demand is high. Since it launched in 2021, Patel said they’ve seen real results.
“Over 80% of the patients that we had enrolled in this, saw a reduction in their hemoglobin A1C less than seven or the goal that we had set for them,” Patel said.
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Patel also noted more than 70 percent of their patients lost weight and hit their blood pressure targets.
Moyer said the food pharmacy isn’t just nourishing bodies, it’s shifting mindsets and changing lives.
“If I can teach you, you’ll actually take it home, show your family what you’re doing. You can pour into your family. You can actually teach your family too. So that’s a beautiful thing,” Moyer said.
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Ladson said he is grateful for the difference it’s made in his life.
“My weight has changed. I think better also. I feel better. I walk better. And I can see better,” Ladson said.
UF Health said more than 500 people have used the food pharmacy since it launched in 2021 and more than 40,000 pounds of food have been given away so far this year.
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