Report: ‘Food pharmacy’ doing wonders for Type 2 diabetes patients

DANVILLE, Pa. — The implementation of a new “food pharmacy” at a Geisenger Health System hospital is doing wonders for Type 2 diabetes patients, according to an NPR report.

Over the past year, about 180 patients with Type 2 diabetes have been participating in a pilot program aimed at getting them to change their diets and lose weight. They receive free groceries of healthy foods every week.

Each week, participants come to the food pharmacy. In its new incarnation, it looks more like a grocery, with neatly stocked shelves filled with healthy staples such as whole grain pasta and beans. The refrigerators are full of fresh produce, greens, low-fat dairy, lean meats and fish.

The participants meet one-on-one with a registered dietitian. They're given recipes and hands-on instruction on how to prepare healthy meals. Then, they go home with a very different kind of prescription: five days' worth of free, fresh food.

NPR highlighted one patient, Tom Shiocowich, who has lost 45 pounds since participating in the food pharmacy.

To read the full report, click here.