BRMC, UPB Farmer's Market

By George Nianiatus, senior writer
BRMC Communications Department

Two of the region's health leaders are partnering in a first-of-a-kind project to enhance community wellness by offering a new weekly Farmer's Market on campus at Bradford's medical center.

Starting Tuesday, June 16, community residents will be able to feed their families farm-fresh, naturally grown produce from Canticle Farm of Allegany, N.Y., by going to Bradford Regional Medical Center's (BRMC’s) North Bennett Street entrance near The Pavilion at BRMC from 1 to 4 p.m.

BRMC and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford's Center for Rural Health Practice are partnering in this unique project. The Farmer's Market will be held rain or shine under covered roofing every Tuesday for 18 weeks through Oct. 13.
"Since one of the keys to wellness and healthy lifestyles is the food we eat, we wanted to create an opportunity for people to directly benefit from some of the locally grown produce available during the upcoming season," explains Mariann Kahle, BRMC's worksite wellness coordinator.

Organizers hope to attract residents looking to buy chemical-free, seasonal produce that's competitively priced. "Residents will be able to buy the freshest and healthiest produce that's possibly available," says Mrs. Kahle.

Pitt-Bradford officials echo that commitment to community and rural health, noting their interest in the project from its initial stages. "I wanted the Center for Rural Health Practice to be involved with the Farmer's Market," says Rebecca Confer, administrative assistant of Pitt-Bradford's Center for Rural Health Practice. "It sounded like such a great idea."

Throughout the course of the season, upwards of 40 different varieties of produce will be available at the Farmer's Market at BRMC. As the growing season progresses, garden items will include lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, Asian greens, radishes, potatoes, carrots, salad turnips, scallions, parsley, broccoli, cauliflower and more. The produce is typically picked within a day or two, say organizers, an added enhancement to freshness.

As an added bonus, Farmer's Market customers will be able to get a free 80-page cookbook that will offer several tasty recipes for each garden item, Mrs. Kahle notes. The time-tested recipes were previously assembled by Canticle Farm through a grant. "There are three or four recipes for every garden item," she says. However, if people don't want to take the cookbook home, they can still access the recipes by going to Canticle Farm's Web site at www.canticlefarm.org.

The idea for a Farmer's Market at BRMC took root after Mrs. Kahle was conducting research on the job last summer for information about wellness initiatives that other medical centers offer. "I found out the Cleveland Clinic had a similar-type Farmer's Market but I didn't know of any rural hospitals that offered one," says Mrs. Kahle. "And that got me thinking."

Earlier this year, Canticle Farm board member Betsy Costello of Bradford contacted Mrs. Kahle, who was just named BRMC's first worksite wellness coordinator. The notion of a rural hospital like BRMC offering a weekly Farmer's Market sounded intriguing.

One concern, though, was having enough volunteers to operate the Farmer's Market produce tables for a few hours and also help with setup. Word spread of the planned project. Then two months ago Mrs. Kahle got a call from Mrs. Confer, who had heard of the project, to see if any assistance could be offered to BRMC in making this idea become a reality. What resulted was an agreement in which BRMC and Pitt-Bradford would each provide volunteers on alternate weeks to run the Farmer's Market.

"It's a great partnership and example for two leading community and regional organizations to work collaboratively in this type of initiative," Mrs. Confer explains. The Center for Rural Health Practice's interim director, Margaret Potter, immediately liked the idea of a partnership with BRMC to create the Farmer's Market, says Mrs. Confer.

Ultimately, a partnership proposal submitted by the Center for Rural Health Practice was forwarded to Pitt-Bradford President Livingston Alexander and it was swiftly approved. Mrs. Confer says, "BRMC is doing the bulk of the work but we're pitching in with funds and providing volunteers to work the Farmer's
Market on alternate weeks."

Canticle Farm is a community-supported agriculture farm located at 3835 S. Nine Mile Road in Allegany, N.Y. It's certified as using natural growing practices to provide safe, healthy food without the use of chemicals or pollutants.

Canticle Farm began in 1991 by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany as a mission to operate an Earth-friendly farm. "Canticle Farm's mission is to operate an Earth-friendly farm and to involve people throughout the community," explains Sister Joyce Ramage, Canticle Farm's president. "We're always looking for ways to spread our mission. We're happy to share our food with others. Now, the Bradford area can be an extended part of our Canticle Farm family."

As a community-supported agriculture farm, Canticle Farm members buy shares of its harvest in advance. Canticle Farm offers shares for the spring, summer and fall harvests. BRMC purchased nine summer season shares to supply the Farmer's Market at the hospital, says Mrs. Kahle. "Our intent is not for the Farmer's Market to make a profit. We just want to provide the best quality food to those in the community who want to take advantage of it," she adds.

Mark Printz, Canticle Farm's manager, says, "The produce people purchase is picked within 24 or 48 hours. You can't get much fresher than that." Furthermore, "We're certified for using naturally grown practices. There are no chemicals of any kind used to grow our produce. And people can also come out to the farm to see how we actually raise our produce."

With about nine acres under cultivation, Canticle Farm isn't looking to expand its land holdings. "We're just looking to be more efficient with our yields," he says. "We've shown over the years that produce can be naturally grown," Mr. Printz notes. "It's a farming method over the past few years that is beginning to take hold across the country."

For information about the Farmer's Market at BRMC, contact Mrs. Kahle at 362-8383.

Pictured: Showing some of the early season produce that will be available at Bradford Regional Medical Center's (BRMC's) upcoming Farmer's Market are Mariann Kahle (kneeling at left), BRMC's worksite wellness coordinator, and Rebecca Confer (kneeling at right), administrative assistant for the Center for Rural Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. With them at Canticle Farm in
Allegany, N.Y., are Mark Printz, farm manager, and Sister Joyce Ramage, Canticle Farm's president.
(Photo courtesy of BRMC)