Farmers markets go door-to-door
When it comes to reducing costs for programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, where do fresh vegetables fit in? That question is being answered by Senior Whole Health, an HMO in New York and Massachusetts. Â ?Senior Whole Health (SWH) integrates all Medicare, Medicaid and Medicare Part D Pharmacy benefits for low-income seniors into one comprehensive plan that, their advocates say, is easy to use and easy to understand especially because the company assigns case managers to oversee the wellness needs of their senior clients.
And as part of their holistic approach to health, they are bringing mini-farmers markets to senior residents in apartments and facilities around Ulster and Orange counties. ?“I love it,” said Barbara Rumsey, 78, who was attending the market last week in the community room of the Yosman Tower apartments in Kingston. “It”™s new, so it gets people out their rooms and it helps bring people together. And everything is excellent and fresh.”?Those ingredients are by design, said Marisol Ramirez of SWH, who oversees the Kingston market as well as locations in senior residences and apartment complexes from Albany to Newburgh. As part of the program SWH undertakes in promoting wellness among their senior clients, fresh vegetables and social interaction are not seen as afterthoughts, but as integral to physical and mental  health.
“All of the towns have farmers markets, but with seniors having such problems with transportation, we want to bring the produce to right where they live,” Ramirez said. Anyone who lives in the building is invited to participate, regardless of whether they are clients of SWH. The HMO provides dollar-size certificates to reduce the cost of the produce, what Ramirez called, “little veggie dollars.”
The markets are part of a spectrum of SWH programs designed to keep seniors happier and healthier at their home, she said, thus reducing the time they spend in nursing homes, which cost more and have a lesser quality of life. “Its”™ not one size fits all. We are addressing what each person needs.” ?The company started in Massachusetts in 2004 and expanded into New York in 2007. In 2008, the company had $215 million in revenue, up from $142 million in 2007. Â Operations are primarily in Massachusetts, but low-income seniors in 12 Hudson Valley and upstate counties are eligible to enroll. Â ?To fill the farmers markets, SWH finds a local provider.
In Kingston”™s case, Mayor James Sottile hooked SWH with Kingston Natural Foods Market and buying club in the Rondout, which provides seasonal organic fruits and vegetables ranging from apples, pears and melons to potatoes, broccoli and squash to Yosman Towers and other residences in the area.