Mill City Grows, Lowell General Hospital, and UMass Lowell are partnering on a special pilot program to learn how a steady diet of fresh fruits and vegetables affects our cardiac health. 

Every week for six consecutive months, Mill City Grows’ Education Team delivers fresh, heart-healthy produce to cardiac patients at Lowell General Hospital in partnership with LGH’s Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. These fresh food deliveries go to twenty pre-selected patients (at no cost) who have had a heart attack, stroke, or another major cardiac event. In an effort to compare the effects of fresh food intake on this “intervention group” of patients, a “control group” of twenty patients are taking part in an LGH nutrition and exercise program, but are not receiving the farm shares. Both the intervention and control groups are monitored closely by a clinical dietician who will conduct patient interviews and health screenings throughout the program. 

Data entry and analysis is being done by a UMass Lowell research assistant who will also conduct a one-year follow up with both patient groups.