Adirondack Health Celebrates the Power of Rural Health
SARANAC LAKE – Adirondack Health will join the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) in celebrating National Rural Health Day on Thursday, Nov. 17. National Rural Health Day offers an opportunity to celebrate the many ways in which rural hospitals are special.
Nearly 62 million Americans live in rural and frontier communities. Rural communities are wonderful places to live and work, but these communities also have unique healthcare needs. That is why the NOSORH sets aside the third Thursday of every November to celebrate National Rural Health Day.
Adirondack Health celebrates its rural identity every day of the year by partnering with local agriculture to provide fresh, nutritious foods to patients, staff and community members.
“Nutrition is an important part of any healthy lifestyle,” said Carl Bowen, Director of Adirondack Health’s Nutritional Services Department. “By utilizing the many local food resources we have in our community, we are able to use fresh ingredients to create nutritious meals for our patients and staff, while at the same time supporting local farmers.”
Adirondack Health’s Nutritional Services Department has transitioned to an all-natural, farm-to-table nutrition model. They use fresh foods whenever possible in their fresh-baked goods and from-scratch dishes. They currently source produce, meats and dairy from North Country Creamery, Juniper Hill Farms, Kilcoyne Farms, Fledgling Crow Farms, Forrence Orchards, Rulfs Orchard, Everett Orchard and Harmony Hills.
Employees at Adirondack Health have the opportunity to participate in summer CSA shares through Fledging Crow and Harmony Hills. To make this program accessible to all staff members, shares are available for pick up at the Adirondack Medical Center campus each week. This year, 65 staff members from across the organization chose to participate.
Adirondack Health has also teamed up with a variety of community organizations to promote healthy eating. This summer, through the Franklin County Office for the Aging, they were able to provide seniors with coupons for local Farmer’s Markets. They sponsored ANCA’s Bike the Barns road cycling tour, which featured farm tour stops along the route so cyclists could personally connect with local food providers. Adirondack Health is also a proud supporter of the Adirondack Farm to School Initiative.
