TAMPA, Fla. — The City of Tampa is working to become a premier wellness destination in the country. A new program between the city and Tampa General Hospital aims to give all residents access to holistic healthcare.
TampaWell Activated by Tampa General Hospital is a health-forward initiative that will focus on three key areas — routinely prescribing exercise and healthy food as medicine, enhancing fitness trails and parks in the downtown and adjacent areas, and developing a community garden and food pantry in East Tampa.
“Historically people have come in with diabetes, you treat diabetes, they go home," Tampa General Hospital executive vice president and chief ambulatory officer Adam Smith said. "But, what have we really done to change that behavior? So, let's teach people how to eat. Let's give them access to the food that they need and let's really change the wellness of our community."
The initiative is launching in East Tampa, which some consider a food desert — meaning it’s a place where it’s difficult to find affordable or quality fresh food.
"Research shows that simply putting a farmers' market into a food desert neighborhood improves the physical well-being of the entire community,” Mayor Jane Castor said.
TampaWell is planning to launch an app to ensure everyone in the city has access to the free program.
