How’s this for a bottom line: “If we do this right, business is going to go down.”
That’s how RWJBarnabas Health CEO Mark Manigan described Harvest, the system’s new farm-to-community center in Newark.
It’s not the kind of line you usually hear from a hospital executive. Of course, Harvest is not a typical health care facility.
Located in the Hahne & Co. building on Halsey Street in Newark, Harvest is a first-of-its-kind hub aimed at combating food and nutrition insecurity, promoting nutrition education and empowering local businesses — all while strengthening the regional food economy.
It’s not about making money.
“We’re out here promoting the notion of early health, community health — that food is medicine,” he said. “We’re keeping people out of doctor’s offices and out of hospitals.
“We don’t really have a reimbursement model to sustain this.”
Manigan said Harvest, which benefits from state funding, is part of the charitable mission at RWJBarnabas Health.
“That’s really what drives us to do this work,” he said.
The bet, Manigan argues, is that the math ultimately will work.
“We believe, over the long term, this will prove out, that educating communities on healthy living, healthy diet, eating right — showing them, training them and providing access — will elevate health over time,” he said.
The challenge is finding a collective model (he mentions health systems, nonprofits, insurance companies and government aid) to create a system that helps elevate health in parts of the state that disproportionately suffer.
“That’s the opportunity here,” he said.
What makes Harvest different is that it addresses health care long before anyone needs it.
“The impact of social determinants on health — access to food, economic opportunity, housing, transportation and to preventive care — is undeniable,” Manigan said. “These are the things that really are the drivers of health. So, we’re deeply committed to focusing on them, consistent with our mission to elevate community.”
Manigan links that commitment directly to place.
“This is a data thing,” he said. “There’s this statistic that (Newark) Mayor Baraka talks about: If you’re born in the South Ward, your life expectancy is 14 years less than if you’re born in Short Hills.”
It’s not that some residents don’t get care — it’s that they get care too late, Manigan said.
“So, the question is: How do we get in front of this? How do we start healthier living?” he asked.
Manigan feels Harvest can be a start.
“There’s really no greater reflection of the mission that we have to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey,” he said.
