Progress report for CNE25-010
Project Information
Virtua Health (Virtua) is the largest health system in southern New Jersey and our mission is to help people Be Well, Get Well and Stay Well. We have a fleet of innovative mobile outreach programs that address community challenges affecting health, especially access to nutritious, affordable food, which include Eat Well healthy food access (mobile farmers market, mobile grocery store), pediatric health, and a mobile health & cancer screening unit, all serving South Jersey populations to improve their health and increase access to care.
In 2022, we created the Virtua Mobile Health Acceleration Project to empower people to live healthier lives, by strengthening clinical linkages to care using the premise "food is medicine" - the universal construct that good nutrition has a positive effect on every chronic disease. The acceleration project meets both the medical and nutritional needs of infants to older adults by expanding our mobile health presence in the community, having clinical mobile platforms ride tandem with our Eat Well food markets, and training our community health workers to screen for social determinants of health thus increasing connection to care. In 2024, the acceleration project provided 3634 free health screenings.
Virtua will bring the Acceleration Project to NJ farms and farmer-oriented events run by our project partners. Virtua's Mobile Health and Cancer Screening Unit and Mobile Pediatric Services team will travel with our Eat Well Mobile markets to provide access to affordable and healthy food, free health screenings, education and health-promoting giveaway items.
Virtua Health (Virtua) is an academic health system helping the people of South Jersey by providing the complete spectrum of advanced, accessible, and trusted health care services. As a not-for-profit, Virtua is a pioneer in mobile healthcare committed to the well-being of the community by providing innovative outreach programs addressing underlying challenges to wellness. We are dedicated to bringing life-changing resources and health services directly to our communities through our mobile health initiatives outside of the hospital: Eat Well's Mobile Farmers Market and Mobile Grocery Store, Pediatric Mobile Services, and the Mobile Health & Cancer Screening Unit.
Eat Well Mobile Farmers Market: To ensure access to good nutrition, a 23-foot bus brimming with fresh produce sells fruits and vegetables at significantly reduced prices in communities throughout southern NJ. In 2024, the market conducted 515 pop-up shops and processed 15,222 sales transactions.
Eat Well Mobile Grocery Store: This is a 40 foot, one-aisle supermarket on wheels. Launched October 2020, this mobile market began visiting neighborhoods to sell, at discounted prices, basic pantry staples, and nutritionally dense food paired with health education and preventative health screenings provided by trained Community Health Workers. In 2024, the grocery store conducted 429 market stops and processed 7,547 sales transactions.
Mobile Health & Cancer Screening Unit: MHCSU is a state-of-the art clinic-on-wheels providing 3_D mammography and screenings for cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer Last year, we provided 1,364 cancer screenings, of which 79% of patients were uninsured. MHCSU also services patients with insurance (Medicaid, Medicare, commercial) with the goal of improving access for everyone in our community so no one is turned away.
Mobile Pediatric Services: Virtua's Pediatric Mobile Services (VPMS) provides children, ages 0-12 in communities throughout South Jersey, with the health services they need including dental and developmental screenings, lead testing/lead poisoning education, flu shots, health education, back-to-school physicals, vision and hearing screenings, community resources and referrals to specialized services. In 2024, VPMS conducted 488 community outings in Camden, Burlington and Gloucester Counties, and served 10,085 children ages 0-19.
Mobilizing for Farmer Wellness will connect farmers and their staff to free health screenings and healthy food throughout southern New Jersey, encompassing Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic and Cumberland Counties.
Objective 1: Virtua will connect the NJ agricultural community to free health and cancer screenings, pediatric development and health screenings, and access to affordable nutritious food.
Anticipated Results: Success is evidenced as 30 farm visits, anticipating 450 free health screenings, 390 healthy food sales transactions, and 3,600 giveaway items distributed in this often-overlooked NJ community.
Objective 2: Virtua will work with the identified community partners to bring complementary wellness resources to farmer-oriented community events.
Anticipated Results 1: Success is evidenced by 20 agricultural-forward community events attended by Virtua, anticipating 440 free screenings, 320 healthy food transactions, and 3,520 giveaway items distributed throughout this grant's lifecycle.
Anticipated Results 2: Success is evidenced by 50 individuals completing MHFA training courses, and 140 individuals completing Labor-Movement training.
Objective 3: Southern NJ Farmers will have access to health and wellness resources.
Anticipated Results 1: Success will be evidenced by 625 Farmer Wellness Guides distributed to farmers and farmworkers.
Anticipated results 2: Success will be evidenced by the creation and maintenance of the webpage.
More than a century after adopting the nickname Garden State, New Jersey maintains a flourishing agricultural industry exceeding $1 billion annually. Yet the sustainability of this sector is threatened by an aging farming community and the need for a new generation of farmers. Low access to wellness resources harms the health of experienced farmers and persists as a barrier to a robust new generation of farmers. Young farmers face health-based obstacles to participation; 78% of young farmers are first-generation farmers, 40% report healthcare costs as very or extremely challenging (National Young Farmers Survey, 2022).
Current and next-generation farmers need the skills to maintain their mental, physical, and economic health. They need knowledge of and access to healthcare services, insurance, financial management and other resources vital to wellness.
Farmer injuries frequently result from repetitive and strenuous movements. Improper clothing and insufficient water consumption are key risk factors for injuries (Goldman et al., 2021; RHI Hub, 2025). To reduce injury risk, Goldman et al., 2021 recommend the use of stretching and warm-up exercises, as well as training for proper body mechanics.
To date, we have received 34 responses to the Farmer Wellness Survey. Multiple key themes emerged. A quarter of respondents do not attend regular health checkups, primarily due to lack of adequate health insurance coverage. If this data trend holds, we may focus more outreach efforts on connecting farmers with organizations that help people enroll in Medicaid or other health insurance. Other key needs survey respondents identified were mental health resources, education around financial wellbeing, and more break opportunities for stretching and mindfulness at work. As a result, our upcoming events may include more resources to address these specific needs, like having a mental health counselor present or providing referrals to mental health services, and more financial and business management education resources.
Cooperators
Research
Objective 1: Virtua will connect the NJ agricultural community to free health and cancer screenings, pediatric development and health screenings, and access to affordable nutritious food.
Activity: Virtua will bring health screenings and education directly to farmers and farm workers by co-locating one or more of our mobile health units with our Eat Well Mobile Grocery Store/Farmers Market at a host farm. The Eat Well mobile market will offer nutritious pantry staples and produce to farmworkers and farmers. We will leverage our relationships with our project partners to endorse and promote services in our diverse communities of farmers. Should additional care be required for anyone using our services, a warm hand off to additional services is provided. To encourage participation, we will also provide "Be Well Bags" filled with health-promoting resources. These giveaway items will include sunscreen, weather-appropriate gear (e.g., moisture-wicking shirts), electrolyte packets for hot days in the field, and other resources to protect farmer wellness.
Anticipated Results: Success is evidenced as 30 farm visits, anticipating 450 free health screenings, 390 healthy food sales transactions, and 3,600 giveaway items distributed in this often-overlooked NJ community.
Objective 2: Virtua will work with the identified community partners to bring complementary wellness resources to farmer-oriented community events.
Activity 1: Virtua will bring health screenings and education to farmers and farm workers by co-locating one or more of our mobile health units with our Eat Well Mobile Grocery Store/Farmers Market at a community event. Pre-identified host sites include RTP's Root Camp 101, NOFA NJ Wellness Days, and FesTomato. Root Camp 101 is open to youth, young adults and beginning farmers learning foundational farming and farm management skills. We will provide Be Well Bags, and disseminate surveys through farmer networks of PPA and NOFA NJ to identify specific barriers to wellness and other resources they'd be interested in.
Anticipated Results: Success is evidenced by 20 agricultural-forward community events attended by Virtua, anticipating 440 free screenings, 320 healthy food transactions, and 3,520 giveaway items distributed throughout this grant's lifecycle.
Activity 2: NOFA NJ will sponsor Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Trainings for farmers and the farmworkers, empowering them to serve as resources to others in their community. MHFA training will be conducted online through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing's directory of certified training. NOFA NJ will also host workshops (provided by Labor-Movement) on farming specific body mechanics designed to increase workforce productivity and decrease workplace injuries. NOFA NJ's Wellness Days will include other training (e.g., farm HR best practices, tractor safety workshops) as informed by feedback from local farming communities.
Anticipated Results: Success is evidenced by 50 individuals completing MHFA training courses, and 140 individuals completing Labor-Movement training.
Objective 3: Southern NJ Farmers will have access to health and wellness resources.
Activity 1: NOFA NJ will design and distribute a printed Farmer Wellness Guide to connect farmers and farmworkers with relevant health and wellness resources in NJ (to be printed in both Spanish and English).
Anticipated Results: Success will be evidenced by 625 Farmer Wellness Guides distributed to farmers and farmworkers.
Activity 2: NOFA NJ will design and maintain Farmer Wellness Resources page within nofanj.org with accessible links to wellness information and relevant service providers.
Anticipated results: Success will be evidenced by the creation and maintenance of the webpage.
Education & outreach activities and participation summary
Participation summary:
To date, Mobilizing for Farmer Wellness has completed two Community Events, bringing farmer wellness trainings, preventive health screenings, health-promoting resources and paid survey opportunities to Southern New Jersey farmers. These events include the following:
- FesTomato at Walking Bird Farm: FesTomato, hosted by NOFA NJ, promoted the state's favorite summer crop as well as the farms and farmers that grow them. The event featured a variety of activities for the whole family such as with farm tours, tastings, culinary demonstrations, live music and vendors. Thanks to Mobilizing for Farmer Wellness, Virtua Health was able to offer blood pressure screenings and promote Mobilizing for Farmer Wellness in the farming community. Farmers were also provided with health education materials and information about available services.
- Farmer Wellness Day at Pinelands Alliance: Farmer Wellness Day, held at Pineland Alliance's Rancocas Creek Farm, brought together farmers, medical service providers, physical therapists, and other professionals for a day of learning and connection centered on farmer wellness. The event featured 6 trainings and workshops on a variety of farmer wellness topics, including injury prevention, farm safety strategies, nutrition for physical and mental wellness, self-massage techniques, and managing and preventing heat stress. Attendees enjoyed the opportunities to relax and unwind with a 10-minute massages, fresh food and other items from local vendors. Farmers also participated in Build-Your-Own First Aid Kit station, Skin Cancer Detection education, as well as Eat Well produce bags, blood pressure screenings and health-promoting giveaway bags supplied by Virtua. Farmer Wellness Day served 27 farmers and farm service workers, providing 13 blood pressure screenings, 19 produce bags, 13 health-promoting giveaway bags, and 27 competed surveys.
The event was well received by participants. For example, one attendee said: “Attending the Farmer Wellness Day highlighted the importance of caring for my body while working in agriculture. I learned about the risks of repetitive movements and practical ways to reduce strain and preserve long-term physical health. The Virtua mobile health screening was especially helpful, as it provided insight into my blood pressure along with strategies to help lower it. The experience was made even better by the chair massage, which allowed me to relax while my child was being cared for”.
The next scheduled event is NOFA NJ's Annual Winter Conference on 1/31/2026. The Conference will host 250+ farmers and farm service workers for a full day of educational workshops on farm business management, farmer wellness strategies, growing practices, and a variety of other trainings and resources. Virtua Health will bring preventive health screenings, share health education resources, connect farmers with mental and physical health resources, strengthen relationships with the agricultural community, and administer surveys to better understand farmers' needs which will inform this project.
Project staff have implemented a multi-pronged outreach strategy that taps into the farmer networks of Pinelands Alliance and NOFA NJ. Pinelands Alliance staff (i.e., RTP Manager and Outreach Coordinator) are connecting with farms to spread awareness of the project and establish host sites for Farmer Wellness trainings, health screenings, and education events. Project coordinators and managers are conducting outreach in-person at events (i.e., 2026 Ag Convention hosted by Vegetable Growers Association of NJ) and through digital media (i.e., weekly newsletters, social media). We are currently lining up a Spring and Summer schedule of health screening events at host farms as well as additional agricultural community events. These events will bring cancer screenings, health-promoting Be Well Bags, farmer trainings, and other wellness resources directly to farmers.
We also developed a 3-question survey which will be given to farmers at the end of trainings/educational activities. This feedback will inform programmatic improvements to help us meet the learning needs of farmers.