Fresh produce access boosts health outcomes among diabetes patients and those on Medicaid in recent studies
Advocates say that programs that treat food as medicine could go a long way toward improving health among low-income people and people with chronic conditions.
In Stockton, California, almost 60% of the city’s 320,000 residents are prediabetic or living with diabetes. Shane Bailey, a 72-year-old longtime resident and U.S. Coast Guard veteran, is one of them. And because she lives in a neighborhood that is considered a food desert because it lacks nearby grocery stores, it can be a huge challenge to access healthy, affordable food.
“I live in the Central Valley with a lot of produce being grown. But in Stockton, it’s often either very expensive, or low quality, or both,” said Bailey.
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