PRODUCE PRESCRIPTION — Dr. Carol Greco, co-founder of FARMacy WV, showed individuals the local produce available through the nonprofit’s location at the Ohio Valley Health Center. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — Distribution is continuing for a pilot program at the Ohio Valley Health Center that allows medical providers to write prescriptions for fresh, locally sourced produce, a service that is aimed at improving health outcomes for patients.

Thursday was the second week for the OVHC’s FARMacy WV program, through which the health center’s medical providers can provide participants with a medical prescription for $25 worth of fruits and vegetables every week for 15 weeks.

A free clinic serving Ohio Valley residents with little-to-no medical insurance, the OVHC serves 22 patients through the program, which targets individuals with chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension.

Patients pick up their prescribed produce every Thursday during the program period and are offered educational counseling in nutrition and culinary skills from Audrey Haught, SNAP-Ed program assistant for the Jefferson County Ohio State University Extension Office.

FARMacy WV itself is a nonprofit that was founded in 2016 in Wheeling by Dr. Carol Greco, a family practice doctor, and Amanda Cummins, a physician’s assistant. The nonprofit operates 30 sites in 24 West Virginia counties.

Greco explained that chronic disease statistics in the Mountain State are the worst in the country, prompting FARMacy WV’s approach of healthy food as medicine and promotion of a healthy diet as an integral step for treating and preventing chronic disease.

Cummins said FARMacy WV is the “missing link” between people with chronic diseases and the healthy food they need for a better diet, which may be out of reach due to finances or their inability to physically obtain it.

“We know that access to healthy produce translates to better control of diabetes, better health in patients who have those barriers to it based on affordability, lack of access,” she said.

Cummins added that the program and its produce grant these patients more autonomy over their conditions, working alongside their normal medications.

Participants take pre- and post-program labs, the aggregate results of which show as high as a .9-percent decrease in A1C among patients, Cummins said. A1C is the measure of blood sugar in a person’s body during the past three months, with lower percentages being recommended for general health — the American Diabetes Association recommends an A1C of less than 7 percent.

Cummins said patients have seen lower cholesterol levels, and 89 percent report feeling better and having more control over their health.

Chronic diseases don’t stop at state lines, Greco said, which is why the nonprofit was excited to begin its first Ohio program location at the health center.

Produce for patients is sourced from growers who are located close to the program location, Greco said, and the OVHC’s grower is J.R. Lerby. The produce being offered changes based on the growing season, she added.

Being generally grant-funded, the program has received money in West Virginia from the health insurance company Aetna. The OVHC’s program is funded by the Mary Jane Brooks Charitable Trust.

Just beginning its first year, the OVHC’s program is in a pilot stage with limited participants, but the clinic looks forward to bringing on more participants next year, said executive director Ann Quillen.

FARMacy WV is a “great service to add” to the OVHC’s existing patient services, Quillen said, adding that the clinic already serves about 120 diabetic and hypertension patients through its Free to Be Healthy program.

Through that program, patients see a medical provider, have regular appointments, are treated for diabetes through medication and lab services and meet with a dietician all in-house. It’s a “holistic approach to care,” Quillen said, noting the patients can now be connected with FARMacy WV.

In addition to FARMacy WV’s efforts, the OVHC added a raised garden bed on its campus to help teach patients how to cultivate their own produce. Also, those picking up their produce Thursday could take home a free tomato or pepper plant, as well as a container of homemade spaghetti sauce made from leftover vegetables.

Next on the OVHC’s agenda, Quillen noted, is offering free prostate-specific antigen tests for men in the community. Vouchers are being distributed locally, or individuals can call the OVHC at (740) 283-2856 to receive one. Tests will be offered from now until the end of July at the clinic, and results will be forwarded to the person’s medical provider in case there’s something concerning.

Thursday’s distribution was paired with a health fair, and participants included DeCaria Brothers Pharmacies Inc., Valley Hospice, A&B Sunset Pharmacy, the Jefferson County Resource Network, OhioMeansJobs, the Jefferson County General Health District and AmeriHealth Caritas.