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For people who live and work near the busy corner of Fordham Road and Decatur Avenue in the Bronx, eating healthy just got a little easier. A fresh and affordable selection of fruits and vegetables is now available there daily, thanks to a new partnership between the NYC Green Carts Program and Montefiore Medical Center.
The collaboration is aimed at improving local residents' access to fresh foods. "Bronx residents are heavily impacted by chronic conditions such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, all of which can be prevented by behaviors and interventions that promote good health," said Peter Selwyn, MD, Chairman, Department of Family and Social Medicine (DFSM) at Montefiore Medical Center. "Our partnership with the NYC Green Carts Program is one way that we are supporting healthier lifestyles for local citizens."
The new Green Cart at Fordham and Decatur was introduced at a special kick-off ceremony held June 10, where Dr. Selwyn was joined by representatives of the NYC Health Department; the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, which donated $1.5 million to initiate the city's Green Carts Program; and staff and patients from Montefiore's Family Health Center located on the same block.
"This is an incredible program because it provides access to healthy food and the opportunity for local residents to buy it," said Laurie M. Tisch, President, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. "When we first considered supporting the Green Carts program we walked through streets in the Bronx and were hard pressed to find any fresh produce. Now there are opportunities for partnerships with hospitals, schools and other institutions to support Green Carts like the one associated with Montefiore."
NBC Today Show personality Produce Pete, featured guest at the event, spoke to the crowd about the importance of eating fresh food daily and offered tips on shopping smart at the Green Cart. "Eating healthy is a lifestyle. We should be eating fresh fruit and vegetables every day and getting our children interested in them at an early age," he said. "The Green Carts are absolutely terrific because they'll provide the local community with access to seasonal produce."
Introduced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2008, the NYC Green Carts Program delivers fresh produce via a traditional NYC source - mobile street vending carts - to areas in the city where rates of diabetes and obesity are highest.
The program's partnership with Montefiore is a demonstration project driven by the medical center's DFSM and was conceived as a model for other NYC community hospitals to follow.
"We want to ensure the Green Cart vendors' success by helping them promote their businesses and maximizing their business opportunities," said Renee Shanker, MSW, MPH, Director,To Your Health Wellness Program, DFSM. "We believe the Green Carts can help to stabilize the community by promoting better eating habits and healthier lifestyles."
At the FHC, health educators and other clinical staff are actively promoting the new Green Cart on their block through waiting room cooking demos and guidance on what to look for when buying produce. "There is an epidemic of obesity in the Bronx, yet it's been hard for us to tell our patients to go down the street and pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables," said Zach Rosen, MD, Medical Director, FHC. "Now I can tell my patients that the Green Cart is right down the block."
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