RWJBarnabas Health marked the grand opening of a new “Food Farmacy” at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton on Jan. 29, expanding access to food and personalized nutrition services as part of its broader effort to address food insecurity and improve community health outcomes across New Jersey.
The Food Farmacy is located within the RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center at 3100 Quakerbridge Road in Mercerville and is designed to support patients and families throughout greater Mercer County. Services include fresh produce, refrigerated and shelf-stable foods, and one-on-one counseling with registered dietitians focused on long-term health and disease prevention.
The program was launched in partnership with Mercer Street Friends and Fairgrown Farm, which supplies fresh, locally sourced produce. The initiative is supported in part by state funding and is designed to align with New Jersey’s growing emphasis on “food as medicine” strategies for managing chronic disease.
“At RWJBarnabas Health, our mission is to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey, and that means addressing the factors that shape health long before a patient ever enters a hospital room,” said Mark E. Manigan, president and chief executive officer of RWJBarnabas Health. “The opening of this Food Farmacy is another important step in our efforts to combat food insecurity through strategic infrastructure investments and community-based programming. With support of state appropriation funding and trusted partners, we are expanding access to nutritious food and nutrition education so individuals and families can live healthier lives.”
The Food Farmacy model combines access to food with clinical support. Registered dietitians provide individualized nutrition counseling, culturally relevant foods and recipes, and education focused on preventing and managing conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. Participation requires a referral from a health care provider for patients who screen positive for food insecurity.
“This Food Farmacy will have a meaningful impact on the health and wellbeing of our local community and the greater Trenton area,” said Lisa Breza, chief administrative officer of RWJUH Hamilton. “By combining access to fresh, culturally relevant food with personalized nutrition counseling and education, we are meeting people where they are and providing practical tools that support long-term health, dignity and whole-person care.”
The Hamilton site is part of RWJBarnabas Health’s statewide network of Food Farmacies addressing social determinants of health. Other locations operate at Jersey City Medical Center, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Saint James Health in Newark, and the RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center in New Brunswick, in partnership with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and a network of urban and rural farmers.
“As the Food Bank of Mercer County, our commitment to healthy communities is at the heart of Mercer Street Friends’ work,” said Bernie Flynn, CEO of Mercer Street Friends. “We recognize access to nutritious food is critical for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. We’re proud to partner with RWJBarnabas Health, Fairgrown Farms, and the State of New Jersey in establishing the Food Farmacy. This effort is one more example of how strong collaboration with community partners leads to thoughtful solutions for our neighbors.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony drew hospital and health system leaders, community partners, and state and local officials.
RWJBarnabas Health also announced plans to open Harvest, a Farm to Community Center, in Newark in March and to launch an additional Food Farmacy later this year in partnership with the The Salvation Army, further expanding its food security initiatives.
More information is available at rwjbh.org.
Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy (fourth from left) presented health system and hospital leadership with a proclamation from the Senate and General Assembly. Remaining, from left: Michael J. Pratico, Jr., chair, RWJUH Hamilton Board of Trustees; Mark E. Manigan, president and chief executive officer, RWJBarnabas Health; Lisa Breza, chief administrative officer, RWJUH Hamilton; Barbara Mintz, senior vice president, social impact and community investment, RWJBarnabas Health; Balpreet Grewal-Virk, senior vice president, Community Health, RWJBarnabas Health; Hamilton Mayor Jeff Martin; and Mercer County Commissioner Nina Melker.,
