Sponsored by St. Joseph Hoag Health, a network of hospitals and clinics in Orange County, the Shop With Your Doc events are part of a recent wave of programs that look beyond the hospital room or doctor’s office. It’s become increasingly clear that people’s regular eating and exercise habits have a much bigger effect on their health than the time spent at a doctor’s appointment, said Glenn Melnick, a USC health economics professor.
Workers at seven St. Joseph Hoag Health events at Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores this year haveprovided information toabout 7,000 customers, according to hospital officials.
Jennifer Bayer of the Hospital Assn. of Southern California said she is trying to bring hospitals together to co-manage farmers markets that would increase fresh fruits and vegetables in Los Angeles neighborhoods. Kaiser Permanente, a managed care health system that doesn’t use a fee-for-service payment model, already runs weekly farmers markets at more than 50 of its facilities across the country.
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