AETNA INVESTS $235,000 TO URBAN FARMS

Aetna Better Health of Illinois has invested $235,000 to 10 urban farms within the Chicagoland area and has partnered with Windy City Harvest to provide quality produce. PHOTO PROVIDED BY AETNA BETTER HEALTH OF ILLINOIS
Aetna Better Health of Illinois has invested $235,000 to 10 urban farms within the Chicagoland area and has partnered with Windy City Harvest to provide quality produce. PHOTO PROVIDED BY AETNA BETTER HEALTH OF ILLINOIS

 Aetna Invests $235,000 to Urban Farms

By Tia Carol Jones

Aetna Better Health of Illinois has partnered with Windy City Harvest to provide funding to 8 urban farms throughout the city of Chicago and two outside the city.  It’s a way to combat food deserts and health disparities in communities where healthy food and fresh produce is not as accessible as it is in other communities.

“Access to nutritious foods is key to maintaining one’s health and aligns with our objective to improve overall health of our communities,” Rushil Desai, CEO, Aetna Better Health of Illinois, said in a release. “We invest in urban farms that provide locally grown produce to communities with less access to grocery stores and produce markets. Additionally, these farms provide employment training opportunities for people to work on the farm and develop valuable job skills.”

The farms that received a portion of the $235,000 are Legends South, in Bronzeville; Eat to Live Urban Farm, in Englewood; Growing Home, in Englewood; The Farm on Ogden, in North Lawndale; Chicago Center for Arts and Technology, in North Lawndale; Hydroponic Venture Project, in West Town; Free Will Good Hope Church, in West Garfield Park; Vera Yates Community Garden at Vera Yates Homes, in West Loop; Connections for the Homeless, in Evanston; and Larkin Village, in Joliet. The amount that was distributed to the farms depended on the size of the farms and their needs.

Windy City Harvest is a farming enterprise that works with urban farms. According to the website, since 2013, Windy City Harvest has helped grow 30 small farm businesses. The Farm on Ogden is the headquarters for Windy City Harvest.

“Through the Farm on Ogden, the headquarters of Windy City Harvest, Aetna’s funding allows us to purchase seeds and live plants, helping Windy City Harvest accomplish two key things: grow, harvest, and distribute produce to the North Lawndale community; and provide hands-on training to workforce development participants across various farm sites in Chicago,” Paul Krysik, director of strategic initiatives at Windy City Harvest, said in a release.
 
Shaan Trotter, Health Equity Officer for Aetna Better Health of Illinois, said Aetna Better Health wanted to strategically address food insecurity. So, it identified zip codes where its members did not have access to quality fresh fruits and vegetables. Atena Better Health has been interested in how the urban farming experience could benefit the communities it serves. It believes that urban farming is one way to advance food sovereignty for its members.

Trotter said there were several factors that went into the urban farms that were chosen for funding. Those factors included the proximity of the farm to Aetna Better Health’s members, the capacity of the farm to provide large amounts of produce that could be distributed throughout the community, the mission of the farms and how they could expand beyond food delivery and the ability to create jobs and other training opportunities.

“The 10 vendors were chosen because of the stories they were able to tell about their impact within the community and how they really aligned with our strategy around addressing some of these health equity issues that we were seeing; then, reducing the burden of access to fresh fruits and vegetables to the community and our members,” Trotter said.

When Aetna Better Health of Illinois is developing these kinds of funding opportunities, it is looking at the whole care of the members and the communities where they live. Food security and food access is one of the main initiatives with the funding of the urban farms. It is being strategic in how it identifies partnerships, as well as products and programs it gives its members exposure to. Trotter believes food access is important to closing some of the health care gaps and chronic diseases that exist.

“The food and farming aspect really gives us innovative ways to engage in these neighborhoods. It puts us on the ground and puts our hands in the soil. There are workforce opportunities in this, there are education opportunities in this, but most importantly, there are health disparity disruptor opportunities in this,” Trotter said.

For more information about Aetna Better Health of Illinois, visit www.aetnabetterhealth.com.

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