Howard University News Service
WASHINGTON— In Ward 8, where grocery options are scarce and health challenges are plentiful, a growing initiative is rewriting the prescription for better living one vegetable at a time.
Produce Rx, a program run by DC Greens — a majority Black-led nonprofit — allows doctors to prescribe fresh fruits and vegetables to Medicaid-eligible patients with chronic illnesses.
According to D.C. Health data, the prevalence of adult-diagnosed diabetes in Ward 8 is 13.5%, the highest in the city. Produce Rx addresses both food insecurity and its chronic disease fallout.
“The food becomes a tool for action,” said Andrea Talhami, DC Greens programs director. “The tools help doctors who need to be able to have a conversation with their patients about health, especially when they know their patient is not going to be able to follow that advice, simply because they don’t have the means.”
Over 177,000 residents live with a chronic disease. Conditions such as diabetes and obesity are often exacerbated by limited access to fresh produce. Predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods in Wards 7 and 8 are among the hardest hit.
These conditions cost the city approximately $700 million annually, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
To meet this challenge, DC Greens turned to innovation, launching a pilot program to bridge the gap between health and food access.
Produce Rx began in 2012, with just one clinic that helped 30 families.
“You would get a paper prescription that could be exchanged for tokens at a couple of farmers’ markets,” said Talhami. “It was a very small pilot.”
Today, the program reaches over 1,000 participants annually and close to 20 clinic partners. It’s expanded into major grocery stores like Giant, Safeway, Walmart and Costco, allowing year-round access to fresh produce.
“We’ve gone from counting paper vouchers to working with a fully integrated payment system,” Talhami added. “It’s much more automated now, but it took a lot of creative problem-solving to get here.”
Participants in the program receive monthly stipends on a reloadable debit card to purchase fruits and vegetables. They can also harvest fresh produce from The Well at Oxon Run, DC Greens’ community farm and wellness center.
“Instead of traveling to Safeway or Giant, you can come here, harvest up to two pounds of food and avoid the transportation barrier entirely,” said Charles Rominiyi, manager of The Well at Oxon Run. “The cost barrier is eliminated too — it’s free.”
Located in Oxon Run Park alongside the river, the urban farm places Ward 8 residents within walking distance of fresh produce.
“There’s nothing you can really walk to,” said Rominiyi. “If we were in Ward 1 or 2, you could walk five minutes and find fresh food. Here… walk ten minutes and it’s just grass and more grass.”
For Produce Rx, collaborating with The Well at Oxon Run is not just about providing food — it’s about creating change.
“Many people come into the program not necessarily knowing where to shop or what to shop for,” said Rominiyi. “They come out on the other side empowered with knowledge to lead a happy and healthy life.”
The Well at Oxon Run is more than just a supplemental food source — it’s a hub for education. The farm offers nutrition classes and gardening workshops.
“We see The Well as a space to bring people together through food,” said Talhami. “But also, to connect them to other wellness resources — housing, education and social services.”
It’s also about the data. Partnered clinics monitor participants’ blood pressure and A1C levels, although Produce Rx does not regularly collect this health data due to privacy regulations. In two separate evaluations, the program tracked biometric indicators over two years.
“Participants showed improved relationships with their healthcare providers and better health outcomes,” said Talhami.
Despite its success, Produce Rx is not without its limitations. The program is restricted to participants with chronic illnesses and enrollment typically lasts one year.
“We’re not changing their socioeconomic status,” Talhami said. “Questioning what happens after that year? That’s where I feel torn.”
Rominiyi also echoes similar concerns about limitations.
“We want to stay open longer; we want year-round access — but we’re limited by seasons, staffing, and funding,” Rominiyi said. “You can’t fix food deserts with one garden, but we can fill in the gaps.”
Similar prescription models are gaining traction elsewhere. Fresh Bucks Indy in Indiana, ChristianaCare in Delaware and MedStar’s FRESHFARM Rx program in Maryland are tailoring the Food-is-Medicine concept to their local needs. The Produce Rx model stands out for its scale, participant education and deep integration with local agriculture, said Talhami.
“Maybe food shouldn’t be done at such a big scale,” Rominiyi said. “Regenerative farming sets the limits — it says, ‘Hey, maybe your food systems should be communal.’”
For The Well at Oxon Run, the work is about reclaiming power and agency, particularly in Black and brown communities.
“It’s in us,” Rominiyi said. “It’s empowerment. It’s what we do. It’s going to be fundamental to the thriving of Black communities in the future.”
While Rominiyi speaks to the deeper community roots of farming, Talhami underscores the importance of health empowerment through the lens of care and connection, not just access.
“Many people think of Produce Rx like SNAP — It’s not,” Talhami said. “It’s about empowering participants to take control of their health — and feel seen by the healthcare system.”
With bipartisan support growing for the national Food-is-Medicine initiative, the question becomes not if programs like Produce Rx can expand — but how quickly they can grow to meet demand.
“The systems are there,” Talhami said. “If someone gave us a million dollars tomorrow, we could scale overnight.” In 2024 alone, Produce Rx participants spent almost $770,000 on fresh fruits and vegetables.
As the program continues to evolve, Rominiyi believes real change starts by rethinking how progress is defined and who gets to define it.
“We need to ask better questions, what does progress look like?” Rominiyi said. “How do we move the needle… That’s the conversation I want to be in.”
Morghan Manuel is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.
