I escaped my daunting three hours of British literature and Baylor’s opening week of Sing to spend the week in the lovely town of Crested Butte, Colorado. I have been getting inspired by the Olympics and skiing overly ambitious runs with my dad – this week is just what the doctor ordered! This spontaneous vacation has provided the perfect escape for me to continue thinking about global health and working on my book review, but I have decided that I am tired of the theoretical, philosophical, moral, political (and so on) topics …for now.
Between my experiences in Honduras and my reactions to current topics in global health reflected on this blog, I have hammered the idea that health inequalities that currently exist are not okay and that we have a very real, very urgent role to play in this fight for justice. But I am ready to focus on the tangible. I want to discover what is being done to foster health equity in various communities, and I want to learn how people of diverse backgrounds and skill sets can get involved.
So, today, I want to highlight the FVRx program started by Wholesome Wave. One of the greatest health disparities in the United States is quality of nutrition. Families of lower socioeconomic status are less likely to access fruits and vegetables for various reasons, including high cost. Trim and fit bodies have now become symbols of affluence. Even more alarming is the prevalence of childhood obesity; many economically disadvantaged children eat poorly and lack exercise, and they never grow up knowing how to live healthy lifestyles. Wholesome Wave decided to address this particular health inequity. Here is the description of this organization found on their website:
“Wholesome Wave fosters strong linkages between local agriculture and under-served communities. Our goal is a more vibrant and equitable food system for all people.”
FVRx produce prescriptions allow doctors to address this need for good quality nutrition when it comes through their offices. An FVRx prescription for fruits and vegetables allots obese children and pregnant women one dollar per day of subsidized money for each person in their household to spend at the local farmers market. The program includes monthly visits with a nutritionist and office visits to refill the prescription and set new goals for health. FVRx stands out to me because it allows people the capacity to control what they eat, directly addressing the inequity in access to natural, healthy foods. FVRx is innovative, and it has proven to be effective in communities around the U.S. Check out this link to see the 2012 results: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9xO2Xo4OIC4elJQZTlRSkR3VDg/edit?pli=1.
To read more about FVRx and Wholesome Wave (pictured above), visit www.wholesomewave.org/fvrx. If you are as convinced about this work as I am, there are several ways to take action listed on the Wholesome Wave website. Personally, I plan on staying current with Wholesome Wave’s work and spreading the word about this incredible organization to communities where it may be relevant.
Simple Extravagance 