St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Opens New Hospital-Based Farm

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is opening a new hospital-based farm to patients, staff and the community, the hospital announced this week.

The farm will be located alongside Woodward Avenue on the hospital's main campus. Officials said it will offer "a safe, appealing space for patients, health care providers and the community to learn, engage, and develop the skills needed to transform their long-term health through food."

"At St. Joe's we understand that food is medicine," said Amanda Sweetman, the director of Farming and Healthy Lifestyles at Trinity Health Michigan. “By exposing patients, doctors, and the communities we serve to fresh, accessible produce, we encourage healthier living and empower them to prevent future illness."

The Farm at St. Joe's Oakland is an expansion of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System's farm at St. Joe's Ann Arbor, which in 2020 donated more than 6,300 pounds of produce to 3,600 health care providers and 1,300 patients, according to the hospital. The Ann Arbor farm distributed 11,500 boxes of produce to members of the community, including 83 food-insecure families, hospital officials said.

The Farm at St. Joe's Oakland also will offer access to a variety of classes and programs, such as the Collaborative Farm Share Program, officials said. The farm share is a 20-week collaborative program that pulls together food from local farms to create a diverse weekly produce box that is then distributed to members.

Memberships are available for purchase and are free for food-insecure members of the community. Officials said the program also serves as an economic driver for local agriculture, having generated more than $150,000 for Ann Arbor-area farms in 2020.

"The food people consume can have a tremendous impact on their overall health and wellbeing and can help avoid many of the chronic illnesses we see in our offices and here at the hospital,” St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Chief Medical Officer Fabian Fregoli said. “The farm is a wonderful addition to our hospital campus, one that will give us the ability to connect with patients in an impactful way, and give them the tools and support needed to live longer, healthier lives."