Conway Regional partnering with area farmers

CONWAY — Doctors, nurses, therapists and numerous others in the Conway Regional Health System got an unexpected treat for National Hospital Week last week.

In addition to the traditional cookout on Wednesday, the staff received a recyclable produce bag and $10 in market bucks to spend at a mini farmers market held outside the Conway Regional Women’s Center. The farmers were on-site after the sun came up, providing locally grown produce for the health care workers.

“We have gotten numerous, very supportive comments from our employees, volunteers and physicians,” said Dot Welch, associate director of the Conway Regional Health Foundation and coordinator of the farmers-market event. In addition to promoting healthy, locally grown produce and supporting farmers, the market was designed to kick off an online Conway Regional Farmers Market for the staff.

Conway Regional is partnering with area farmers. Employees can preorder boxes of fresh produce through a website. Participants will order and pay for preselected food boxes filled with produce grown by area farmers. The farmers will deliver the produce boxes to the medical center from 2-4 p.m. each Friday.

During Wednesday’s kickoff of the farmers market, farmers Tom Green of Atkins and Ekko Barnhill of Lonoke were on-site with strawberries, kale, lettuce, spinach, honey, sweet potatoes, meat and eggs, as well as sunflower oil, canned green beans and other home-grown or homemade food.

The initial response to the farmers market was strong: 867 people picked up produce bags, and $7,900 in market bucks were spent with the farmers.

“We loved the farmers market today, and when the guys say that, it must be good,” said Malinda Reedy, office manager in the maintenance department. “I’ve heard nothing but good things.”

Farmers markets are not new for Brenda Smith, a patient liaison in the mammography department.

“I sincerely hope that many others will take this opportunity to become members of the locally grown community. I have been a devoted member of Conway Locally Grown for years, and I am thrilled that we will now have the option of getting our fresh produce at CRHS.”

Green, owner/farmer of Green Acres in Atkins, said the farmers market was beneficial to the farmers, as well as the employees who participated.

Alicia Kunert, executive director of the Conway Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, is a member of the Healthy Work Sites Team for the Governor’s Healthy Active Arkansas program and said she plans to take the idea back to her work group to share with other hospitals and employers.

“This says we appreciate our employees, we care about their health, and we are going to use our resources to give them what they need to be healthier. We love our community, we take care of our environment, and we want to be healthy contributors,” she said.

Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.

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