The program is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania and produces 400 to 500 pounds of produce per week.
YORK, Pa. — UPMC Memorial Hospital’s mission is to nurse patients back to health. The new initiative will use the food patients eat to provide support.
The hospital and the UMPC Pinnacle Foundation have partnered with York Fresh Food Farms to create a sustainable, year-round farm on the hospital campus in Shiloh, providing food for patients, guests and staff. We are launching a “To Hospital” program.
The program, the first of its kind at a large hospital in Pennsylvania, is already producing 400 to 500 pounds of produce per week through three greenhouse-like structures called hoop houses on the hospital grounds.
The hoop house is powered by solar energy, and its design traps heat, allowing you to grow a wide variety of vegetables inside year-round, including spinach, kale, lettuce, broccoli, and red beets.
The program was created by breast cancer surgeon Kim Mudge, who first came up with the concept five years ago.
“This happened as an epiphany one winter morning,” Dr. Mudge said. “I came across an article about farm-to-hospital concepts that promote health and disease. This seemed like a pivotal paradigm shift.”
Dr. Mudge pitched the idea to hospital executives and said the program is a way to provide a comprehensive approach to making people healthy.
“We’re not just giving drugs or performing joint replacements,” Dr. Mudge says. “It’s about coming together as a team to promote good health: exercise, mental health and nutrition.”
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