HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi residents living with high blood pressure and who struggle to afford healthy groceries will be receiving a $100 monthly voucher to buy nutritious produce, thanks to a $2.8 million grant to researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
The program is known as a “produce prescription,” and looks to make healthy eating more accessible to vulnerable communities.
UH researchers will be studying the program to see how nutrition care can help positively impact those living with medical issues.
Three community health centers will be part of the program: Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, Waimānalo Health Center and Kamakua Kohala Health Center.
Workers at each center will receive training to help execute the program, and provide the $100 vouchers to patients for 12 months.
Associate UH professor and registered dietitian Monica Esquivel is leading the project and saw in her work that many patients wanted to eat healthier but could not afford healthy food.
And that is a problem she wants to address.
“If you don’t have enough money to get food, then your stress is high; and then, it’s really hard to control your blood pressure,” Esquivel said.
The vouchers will be good to purchase fruits, vegetables and poi at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores, hoping to also promote locally-sourced food.
“This program helps close the gaps caused by food insecurity by making fresh, local produce more accessible,” said Alicia Higa, chief community health officer at the Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. “It supports our patients’ health and strengthens our community.”