Owensboro Health Regional Hospital hosted a Food is Medicine roundtable on Tuesday, bringing together farmers, hospital leaders, and public officials to discuss the connection between health care, nutrition, and agriculture. Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell was in attendance, participating in discussions on improving health outcomes through better access to local, nutritious food.
Shell emphasized the initiative’s importance, which aims to integrate locally sourced, healthy food into hospitals across Kentucky.
“This event is part of a series of regional meetings we’ve called Food is Medicine, in partnership with the Kentucky Hospital Association,” Shell said. “Hospitals are often the largest food consumers in their communities. Our goal is to find ways to bring fresh, healthy food into hospital cafeterias, vending areas, and patient care, especially through post-discharge medically tailored food boxes for those managing conditions like diabetes and heart disease.”
The event featured cooking demonstrations, farm-to-table meals, and presentations on initiatives designed to combat food insecurity. Among the highlights was a cooking demonstration led by hospital chefs using local produce and meat, showcasing the potential for hospitals to support local agriculture.
Debbie Zuerner, Owensboro Health’s director of community engagement and event organizer, said the gathering exceeded expectations.
“It was absolutely fantastic,” Zuerner said. “We had such meaningful discussions with farmers, hospital representatives, and food distributors. The commissioner really wanted to open a dialogue on how we can purchase more local produce and fresh meat while addressing the challenges of price points and product availability year-round.”
Zuerner and her team wanted to ensure the event highlighted the efforts already underway in Owensboro.
“We showcased our Stop the Waste frozen meal program and collaborations with Morrison Healthcare and the senior center,” Zuerner said. “We also talked about the success of our long-running Food + Art + Health event and introduced our Healthy Horizons initiative, which promotes nutritious food access throughout Daviess County.”
The discussion touched on several barriers to increasing local food use, such as the labor required to process fresh produce and the logistical challenges of distribution. Shell emphasized the need for stronger partnerships between healthcare providers and local farmers to overcome these obstacles.
“The commissioner posed critical questions about local purchasing and transportation barriers,” Zuerner said. “There was even discussion about adding a bus stop at the Owensboro Regional Farmers Market to increase accessibility.”
Dr. Jim Tidwell of Owensboro Health praised the event for fostering meaningful dialogue.
“Commissioner Shell wanted to bring all these stakeholders into the same room to discuss his initiatives, and I think we achieved that,” Tidwell said. “We know that factors outside hospital walls – like food insecurity – play a significant role in health outcomes, and we’re committed to using our influence to make a difference in these areas.”
Tidwell noted that the hospital’s involvement goes beyond the roundtable.
“We understand that food insecurity is a major social determinant of health. We may not be a food pantry, but we can use our resources and partnerships to have a real impact,” he said.
The roundtable concluded with optimism about future collaborations between the agricultural and healthcare sectors.
“We had great participation today – local farmers, hospital representatives, and public officials were all part of the discussion,” Zuerner said. “It’s exciting to see Owensboro and Daviess County becoming leaders in this work. Everything aligned perfectly for this event, and we’re ready to continue building on that momentum.”
