Just this past week, Open Hand Atlanta celebrated the one-year anniversary of the opening of Jesse Hill Market at Grady, an innovative Food as Medicine collaboration with Grady Health System and The Atlanta Community Food Bank.
Jesse Hill Market offers fresh, nutritious prepared meals, fresh produce and healthy grab and go sandwiches, soups and salads for Grady patients, staff, and the surrounding community. Located on the ground floor of the hospital parking deck, the market takes Food as Medicine to the next level with a beautiful and inviting café, teaching kitchen and food pharmacy – providing a convenient community access point for fresh produce, nutritious meals and nutrition education.
“Open Hand has worked alongside Grady Health System and the Atlanta Community Food Bank for decades to help our community address one of key social determinants of health – access to healthy food” according to Executive Director Matt Pieper. “So this Food as Medicine project is perfectly aligned with both our collaborative spirit and our ultimate mission. We’re thrilled to be able to provide Grady patients and staff easy access to healthy, delicious, affordable menu options in the café at Jesse Hill Market through our social enterprise brand, Good Measure Meals. And we will continue to work together to break the devastating link between food insecurity and poor health in our community.”
Jesse Hill Market allows Grady to give patients dealing with a chronic condition food prescriptions which can be filled with a variety of fresh produce just feet away from the entrance to Grady Hospital. And since keeping Grady staff healthy is also a focus of the Jesse Hill Market, patients and staff alike can also take advantage of cooking classes that teach them how to prepare great tasting healthy meals on a limited budget. In addition, they can (and do!) stop in for healthy meals, a quick lunch, a steaming cup of Refuge coffee or any number of snack options.
The Jesse Hill Market is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Stop by and check us out!