Monica Esquivel is Project Leader on $2.8 Million Nutrition Program

Hawaiʻi residents with hypertension (high blood pressure) who struggle to afford healthy food will soon receive a powerful new prescription from their doctors: fresh, local produce. A new program will provide patients with $100 a month in vouchers to buy fruits, vegetables and poi at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

This innovative “produce prescription” program is the centerpiece of a $2.8 million grant awarded to researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience (CTAHR). The study aims to create effective, culturally relevant health interventions by directly linking nutrition to healthcare for those facing both hypertension and food insecurity.

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