by Justine Rodriguez on 2014-06-04

Approximately 800 Arrowhead Regional Medical Center staff, patients and visitors turned into healthy shoppers on Wednesday, at the new Farmers Market outside the main hospital entrance. Vendors at 14 booths offered shoppers fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, honey, olive oil and other items for purchase. The Farmers Market operates year-round from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday. More than 60 percent of adults in the County of San Bernardino are overweight or obese. In an effort to help change that, ARMC teamed up with the Southland Farmers’ Market Association (SFMA) to bring a weekly Farmers Market to the Medical Center. The one-year agreement with SFMA was recently approved by the County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors. “Partnering with ARMC provides an opportunity for us to introduce individuals to their local farmers and extend the benefits of healthy eating to our community,” said Howell Tumlin, executive director of SFMA. “We have found that patients at the various medical centers we serve sometimes schedule their appointments to coincide with Farmers Market day.” The presence of the weekly Farmers Market just outside the hospital reinforces healthy habits and provides an opportunity for patients, visitors and employees to purchase fresh and nutritious produce. “The Farmers Market is another service that ARMC provides as part of its commitment to health and wellness and its adherence to the Countywide Vision of helping provide for the health needs of county residents,” said ARMC Associate Administrator, Professional Services, Deborah Pease, who led the effort to bring the Farmers Market to ARMC, along with Staci McClane, ARMC ethics and compliance coordinator. “It is important to be healthy,” said attendee William Rubio, an employee in ARMC’s Environmental Services Department, who stopped by the Farmers Market on his lunch break. “I picked up some fresh vegetables for my two children.” SFMA is the largest trade association of certified farmers markets in California. Founded in 1983, the Association has grown to represent 22 farmers markets and more than 400 growers in Southern California.