Produce “Pharmacy”
The prescription is sent or taken to the "food pharmacy," a food distribution location, where the specific foods are available for the patient.
- PhytoRx prescriptions written at the healthcare setting may include specific foods to address a patients condition.
- While some patients may be able to purchase these foods at a grocery store, if you are working with a low-income population, they may need to utilize a community food bank or food co-op.
- The ”food pharmacy” partner should have some additional training from the PhytoRx team to help participants find the foods on their prescription. There may be instances where seasonal availability requires substitutions. An expanded list of foods is provided in the training to ensure that substitutions offer the prescribed phytochemicals.
- The “food pharmacy” can choose how to best support the PhytoRx participants, given their organizational logistics and resources. Options may include:
- Prepackage bags or boxes of food for pick-up or scheduled delivery,
- Provide prescribed foods along with supplemental items that provide for the preparation of certain recipes,
- Allow participants to independently shop to select food from their PhytoRx category.