Collaborative Health Consulting

Food Rx Dillon

We are excited to announce Food Rx Dillon is now in full swing!

This program is funded by Community Food and Agriculture Coalition (CFAC) who acquired approximately $500,000 in grant funding through the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program. That money is being used to support various produce prescription projects throughout the state of Montana and Bar1Wellness is thrilled to be one of those providers.

This is the 2nd produce prescription project and Collaborative Health Initiative for Bar1Wellness but now in our new home of Dillon, MT. Parameters for this project are similar to the last. However, this cohort is a bit larger, consisting of 24 participants who are all screened for being low income and struggling with varying stages of either heart disease, diabetes or both. Enrolled participants receive a $20/week produce voucher to be spent on fruits and vegetables only for the duration of the program. In addition they receive diet and lifestyle education from Bar1Wellness who is working in collaboration with the likes of Blacktail Medical, Barrett Hospital and Healthcare, Beaverhead Community Food Pantry, Town and Country Foods and Vibrant Lives of Montana, Southwestern Montana YMCA and Bee Haven Gardens for help with getting labs, distributing vouchers, reducing financial barriers to exercise and additional learning opportunities that support key pillars of health.. Lab markers such as HbA1c, Fasting Insulin, Fasting Glucose, and a full Lipid Panel are collected and compared pre and post project. This allows us to see objectively, how these programs are influencing health outcomes.

The Food as Medicine approach is the foundation of this program, as healthy food is critical in the prevention and management of disease. Bar 1 Wellness is proud to be a part of the Montana Produce Prescription Collaborative (MTPRx) and we look forward to collaborating even more to grow our partner resources to further support a community driven proactive approach toward reducing and preventing chronic disease at a local level.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC May, 2024):

• Chronic Diseases are the leading cause of illness, disability and death in America.

• Most chronic diseases are caused by a short list of risk factors: smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use.

• Some groups are more affected than others because of factors that limit their ability to make healthy choices.

In a perfect world, whole food would cost less and be more readily available than it’s ultra-processed counterpart. This directly impacts the low income population who statistically suffer disproportionately with health ramifications of a highly inflammatory diet along with other social determinants of health. Ironically most chronic disease is preventable and Bar1Wellness believes strongly that more needs to be done at a local level to prevent and reverse this chronic disease epidemic that we see in our community and throughout the USA. Working collaboratively to leverage community strengths with Food Rx programs is a very promising and sustainable way to navigate these health disparities and improve health outcomes.

Food Rx Dillon GOALS:

• Improve access and consumption of whole foods:

• Facilitate better understanding of nutrition, diet and lifestyle choices and health

• Increase connection with community resources that reinforce education on key pillars of health

• Use evidenced based holistic health alternatives to support wellness and bridge gaps in conventional healthcare

• Reverse and prevent further chronic disease

By utilizing community strengths to create a well rounded holistic health care model we expand patient resources and improve their understanding of contributing factors to health otherwise known as root cause correlations. With these Food Rx projects we collectively provide opportunities for patients to become more empowered, resilient, healthy and productive. This works by first improving access to whole foods on a regular basis along with key education on how those foods nourish different organs, glands and systems plus plenty of hands on experiences such as, cooking, exercise, yoga or meditation classes… affords low income patients the opportunities necessary to not only learn but feel the difference. In so doing, patients gain valuable insight on ways to support themselves through diet and lifestyle modifications for life long improved health.

We look forward to growing this collaborative health model here in Beaverhead County and feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to run another Food Rx project. Stay tuned for more updates!

Food Rx Belgrade

Partners for Food Rx Belgrade

Community Health Partners Belgrade 501c3, No Kid Hungry, Montana State University Bozeman (Nutrition/Dietetic Depts) Towne’s Harvest Garden, Gallatin College Bozeman (Culinary Arts Dept) Gallatin Valley Food Bank, Community Harvest, Open and Local, Community Food and Agriculture Coalition, Amaltheia, Town and Country Foods Belgrade, Costco, Belgrade High School, Lowe’s Bozeman, ACE Belgrade, Massage Wellness, 4 Corners Yoga and SNAP Fitness Belgrade. Working together we are far more impactful.

The goal with this project was to build a community strong holistic model of healthcare for low income patients. One that improved not only accessibility to quality food but health coaching, cooking, diet, nutrition, gardening and mind, body, spirit alternative healing classes to more fully support, educate and empower patients on their road to optimal health.

Data Highlights:

• 38% lowered triglycerides

• 63% improved HDL to ideal range 55-80 (measures cholesterol being filtered out from tissue to liver indicating better cholesterol metabolism)

• 25% lowered LDL

• 75% lowered BP from start to finish

• 100% reported eating more fruits and veggies

• 100% reported improved energy and regularity

Cheers to bridging some of the gaps in healthcare together!