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a cce s s H ea l t h N ews . n e t J a n u a ry 2 0 2 6 Volume 11 | Issue No. 103 18 W hen it comes to living healthy, it's easier when you have a village. Thanks to grants from the American Heart Association and Health Forward Foundation, Altruism, Inc. is launching a food as Medicine program in Lafaye e County that couples education, resources, and support to help participants actively self-monitor blood pressure. Funds from the American Heart Association enabled Altruism to purchase blood pressure monitors that program participants can use to monitor their blood pressure, as well as share systolic/diastotic readings with their provider. Coined as the FaM Program, support from Health Forward enables Altruism to purchase food from rural and urban farms, as well as an organic online grocery platform that offers fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and poultry. The food as medicine portion of the program extends from Lafaye e County to Jackson and neighboring counties. The FaM program centers pregnant individuals but is open to all Altruism clients. High blood pressure is the biggest indicator of preeclampsia in pregnant women. "What excites me about this program is that it offers a tetrad of goodness," said Tonia Wright, CEO of Altruism, Inc. "We help our rural clients monitor their blood pressure, as they tend to have higher rates of hypertension than their urban counterparts. aH Altruism Teams Up to Offer Food As Medicine and BP Self- Monitoring Program Initiative aims to improve health outcomes, address food insecurity, support local farmers, and address food waste. By Contributing Writer Second, we support both rural and urban clients with fresh produce and dry goods at a time when SNAP benefits are snatched or rolled backâincreasing food insecurity. Third, we support our local farmers. And fourth, we make a contribution to fighting good waste and creating a sustainable food system by partnering with a web-based grocer that's made this their mission."