Syndicated: Precinct Reporter Group
By Dianne Anderson
On one side, San Bernardino County may be a great place to live, and home of some of the longest living people in the country in the famous Blue Zone area of Loma Linda.
On the other side, Black and Brown families are sicker and dying more than most other places in the state and nation, and the big question is not so much why the stark difference, but how to get beyond the food desert.
Like most things health-related, some people are working overtime to try to pay rent and put Top Ramen on the table.
It could be more a matter of money.
In Loma Linda 92354, the food is great, nutritious, and affordable for their median household income at about $82,000, which also helps the mostly vegetarian community there to live long.
But in 92410, Black and Brown families die 11-20 years before Loma Linda’s Blue Zone centenarians, trapped by $45,000 incomes, close to trucking and railyard fumes, and fast food drive-thrus.
Health advocates hope to change the dire statistics.
Dr. Juan Carlos Belliard said through a five-year HEART Initiative, led by the Meharry School of Global Health, they want to replicate a model of longevity. San Bernardino is the first launch city for the initiative, with Detroit and Nashville expected to follow later this year.
He said it is critical to work closely with community and city officials, starting with the built environment, career pathways, and education.
“By bringing folks together, we can all advocate for policy that can address these food deserts and food swamps,” said Dr. Belliard, PhD, Assistant Vice President for Community Partnerships at Loma Linda University Health.
As part of preventive, community-focused care, Loma Linda University Health and IEHP are training medical students and cardiology fellows. UCLA fellow Dr. Christoff Foster, an LLU graduate, and Dr. Columbus and Mrs. Danette Batiste of Healthy Heart Nation of the Healthy Heart Foundation are also partners advancing the local initiative’s heart health goals.
Right now, about 400 families receive free fresh food every other Friday at San Bernardino’s community gardens, while visiting Meharry students learn about food access and youth career pathways through LLUH’s CAPS program.
