Medical Center Farmers Markets: A Strategic Partner in the Patient-Centered Medical Home

BACKGROUND: The number of medical center–based farmers markets has increased in the past decade, but little is known about how such organizations contribute to the preventive health goals of the patient-centered medical home. COMMUNITY CONTEXT: In 2010, we started a seasonal farmers market at Penn State Hershey Medical Center to help support the institution’s commitment to the medical home. METHODS: We obtained descriptive data on the farmers market from hospital and market records and tracking information on the market’s Facebook and Twitter sites. We computed summary measures to characterize how the market has begun to meet the 6 standards of the 2011 National Committee for Quality Assurance’s report on the medical home. OUTCOME: During the 2010 and 2011 seasons, 146 medical center volunteers from 40 departments formed 23 interprofessional teams that spent an average of 551 volunteer hours per season at the market, providing health screenings (n = 695) and speaking to customers (n = 636) about preventive health. Fifty-five nonmedical community health partners provided 208 hours of service at the market alongside medical center staff. Market programming contributed to 5 regional preventive health partnerships and created opportunities for interprofessional mentoring, student leadership, data management, development of social media skills, and grant-writing experience. The market contributed to all 6 medical home standards outlined by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. INTERPRETATION: Medical center markets can support medical home standards. With systematic tracking of the health effects and integration with electronic medical health records, markets hold potential to contribute to comprehensive patient-centered care.