SALINAS, CA (July 6, 2016) — Starting July 6, the Laurel Pediatrics Clinic of the Monterey County Health Department will be hosting an innovative program that will provide families afflicted with diet-related illnesses with vouchers to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at Natividad Medical Center’s weekly farmers market.

The program, called Fresh Produce Prescription (FPRx), is a unique partnership of Natividad, the Health Department and Everyone’s Harvest, which operates five certified farmers’ markets in Monterey County, including Natividad’s, and partners with various healthcare organizations to provide incentives for healthy eating.

Creating healthier eating habits is vital to a community’s health. Working with farmers’ markets in low-income communities led Everyone’s Harvest to provide incentives to encourage families to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Families that partake in FPRx will receive $25 in vouchers to use at the farmers’ market each week. Patients can then have their Body Mass Indicators measured at the clinic to mark their progress. So far, 21 families are participating in the program through Laurel Pediatrics Clinic, Natividad, and Everyone’s Harvest.

Families are also encouraged to participate in the Edible Education and Market Match programs offered through Natividad and Everyone’s Harvest.

Natividad Medical Center holds a Certified Farmers’ Market every Wednesday from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at 1441 Constitution Blvd., outside of building 200-Out Patient Services in Salinas.

The farmers’ market and FPRx program is part of Natividad Medical Center’s ongoing commitment to promote wellness and healthy eating among Natividad Medical Center’s staff, patients and their families.

At Natividad Medical Center’s Certified Farmers’ Market run by Everyone’s Harvest, shoppers will find fresh quality fruits and vegetables (many certified organic), beautiful flowers, live plants, and unique gifts from small-scale family farmers and local independent businesses. Shoppers are supporting local California growers by shopping at Natividad Medical Center’s Certified Farmers’ Market.

For more information on Natividad Medical Center’s Certified Farmer’s’ Market contact :
Everyone’s Harvest
Reid Norris, Executive Director
Tel: (831) 384-6961
Fax: (831) 582-9546
www.everyonesharvest.org

For information on Natividad Medical Center, contact Marci Bracco (831) 747-7455.

Background on Natividad Medical Center (NMC)
Owned and operated by Monterey County, NMC is a 172-bed, acute-care hospital providing health care services to county residents for more than130 years. Based in Salinas, California, NMC offers inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care.

NMC provides more than 34,000 patient days of care each year and has more than 52,000 emergency department visits per year. NMC is a Level II Trauma Center providing the immediate availability of specialized personnel, equipment and services to treat the most severe and critical injuries. NMC’s Trauma Center is a vital community service locally that saves lives and eliminates the need to fly critically injured patients to a distant trauma center.

NMC is ranked No. 1 in newborn deliveries in Monterey County and is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast through its affiliation with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

With a medical staff of more than 360 physicians, NMC’s mission is to continually monitor and improve the health of the people, including the vulnerable, in Monterey County through coordinated, affordable high-quality health care.

For more information, please call (831) 755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.