Boston Hospital’s Rooftop Gardens Turn Fresh Food into Medicine

Boston Medical Cente (BMC) has established two rooftop gardens, promoting the idea of “food as medicine” to transform perceptions of hospital food.

These gardens provide patients and staff with access to fresh, nutritious produce, while simultaneously greening the hospital campus. Notably, the second rooftop garden, Newmarket Farm, has tripled BMC’s growing capacity and now offers culturally relevant crops such as callaloo and bokchoy. These gardens not only serve the hospital but also the surrounding communities, distributing produce to local non-profits to support food security initiatives.

In collaboration with Boston Area Gleaners, BMC sends surplus vegetables to food banks, contributing to the fight against food scarcity. The rooftop farms contribute to sustainability by reducing heat absorption and managing stormwater runoff. This initiative aligns with BMC’s Preventive Food Pantry and Food Is Medicine program, which collaborates with local grocers to label foods based on their health benefits, such as blood sugar and heart health.

This project is an example of how hospitals can use their resources to improve patient care and the community, while also doing their part to reduce their environmental impact.