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Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 4:55 AM
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National Food Is Medicine Day:

National Food Is Medicine Day:
Representatives from regional healthcare systems, philanthropic funding groups, and agricultural producers gathered at Freedom Acres Farm in Durant to review operations for the regional 'Food Is Medicine' initiative. Front Row (L to R): Linda Brinlee (Oklahoma Impact Investing Collaborative), Margaret Southerland (AllianceHealth Durant), and Barbara Scott (Coal County General Hospital). Back Row (L to R): Evan Rowland (Freedom Acres Farm), Austin Marshall (OIIC), Erin Martin Hollingsworth (FreshRx), Julieth Barlow (FreshRx), and Ed Long (OIIC). (Courtesy Photo)

How Oklahoma is Turning Produce Prescriptions into Permanent Care

As National Food Is Medicine Day approaches on September 14, a sweeping shift in healthcare strategy is taking root across rural Oklahoma. What began years ago as shortterm community food drives is expanding into a coordinated, multi-sector system designed to treat chronic disease with farmfresh produce.

A recent national report, 'Activating the Food Is Medicine Ecosystem: A Framework for Stakeholder Partnership,' by the Washington, D.C.-based Milken Institute highlights Oklahoma as a leading blueprint for cross-sector healthcare partnerships. According to Holly Freishtat, Senior Director at the Milken Institute’s Feeding Change initiative, the initiative marks a fundamental evolution in how community health programs operate nationwide.

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