New England

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The Healthy Food in Health Care program launched its New England program in 2008. Since that time the New England network has grown to over 150 participating healthcare facilities.

The New England Healthy Food in Health Care Program works with these facilities to leverage their purchasing power toward the creation of a sustainable, regional food system. To meet this goal we focus activities around support for foods grown, raised or caught in New England and sustainable food production in New England and beyond.

In 2016, 76% of the 85 facilities that completed our annual survey, reported purchasing local food; and 37 facilities that reported their local food spend contributed over $8.6 million to the regional economy. Half of all survey respondents reported having a policy to support their procurement of local and/ or sustainable foods.

The work of the New England program and our hospital partners is supported by a dynamic network of state-based and regional organizations.  We collaborate with a variety of organizations and agencies to enhance the support available to facilities and to leverage institutional purchasing power across sectors. Participation in Farm to Institution New England and coordination with colleges and K-12 schools further advances our collective impact. 

Initiatives

The New England Region works to create and implement regional models of the national initiatives of the Healthy Food in Health Care Program along with the following regional initiatives:  

  • Nourished slogansNourished by New England - We're making it easy for health care to support our regional food system and local producers.

    Over the next four seasons, we’ll feature locally grown, raised, and harvested foods and introduce you to the farmers and food businesses who bring them to our table.

    Join health care facilities from across New England in supporting the New England food system and its local producers by pledging to serve a featured seasonal food twice per month.

    Learn more about the program and sign up to participate.

  • Hospital Leadership Teams in each of the six New England States bring together engaged hospitals to leverage collective buying power, share innovative strategies, best practices, and product information, and learn about key issues.  In addition to these procurement-focused groups, we convene a Community Food Outreach Team which brings together community benefit officers, affordable care organization managers, and community outreach specialists to increase the use of federal community benefit funds and other identified monies available to hospitals to increase access to healthy, locally-sourced, and sustainably-produced foods for their community.
  • The New England Healthy Food in Health Care Ambassador Program utilizes the perspective and experience of healthcare representatives to propel existing efforts in New England and take them to the next level by rewarding and cultivating health care leaders and creating opportunities for peer learning.  Meet the 2018 Ambassadors and learn about their projects. 
  • New England Anchors in Resilient Communities (ARC) is a multi-sector project comprised of representatives from 15 key anchor institutions in the K-12, higher education, and health sectors and non-profit organizations. The participants are representative of communities across Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The goal of the project is to increase access to local and sustainably produced foods while simultaneously creating food systems jobs with livable wages. Participants are conducting research on the state of the New England food system with the objective of identifying a joint investment that will move them toward collective goals.

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