Take Care, Now: Improving Access to Health and Nutrition in Farm and Rural Communities
With our partners, Bayer is raising awareness and taking action to alleviate "care deserts" in farm and rural communities across America. Care deserts are places where access to both healthcare and healthy, affordable food is limited.
Learn more about care deserts and enter to win 2024 Luke Bryan Farm Tour VIP Tickets below!
Picking up fresh fruit and vegetables at the local grocery store or going to the doctor for a check-up and screening might seem like a normal routine, but for many Americans these critical elements of health and nutrition remain out of reach. These areas impacted by both food insecurity and limited access to healthcare, are closer than you might think.
They are especially prevalent in rural communities. Today, 90 percent of counties with the highest food insecurity rates are rural1 and rural communities represent nearly two-thirds of the country where there's a shortage of primary health professionals.2 In other words, counties with the highest rates of food insecurity and limited access to healthcare options are disproportionately rural.
As one of the country's largest life-sciences companies with leading businesses across health and nutrition, Bayer in partnership with Kroger are committed to tending to the communities in which we live and work to help.
Increasing access to health and nutrition
As a part of the Take Care, Now campaign Bayer, Kroger and Luke Bryan are raising awareness and taking action to help enhance access to health and nutrition.
Bayer is teaming up with Kroger to support rural communities through the AgriSafe Network, an organization working to address health disparities in rural communities, by providing additional training to 50 nurses in local communities.
Bayer will help provide one million meals through Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, bringing our total to more than 7 million meals since our partnership began.
Fear, anxiety, and lack of knowledge are holding people back from managing their physical health, according to the study conducted by Bayer and The Harris Poll.
Bayer is educating on the risk for cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and prostate cancer. Ninety percent of people with kidney disease do not know they have it because the symptoms are silent. Two simple tests for kidney function and kidney damage are an easy way to assess your risk. A simple blood test called a PSA is used to screen for prostate cancer. People can learn more by visiting the Bayer Aspirin Heart Risk Assessment Tool or Bayer's partners, The National Kidney Foundation and Zero Prostate Cancer.*
*Does not replace an assessment by a qualified healthcare professional. Always talk to your doctor or healthcare professional about your heart health.
Farm and rural communities are the backbone and heartbeat of America, and helping them thrive is critical to us at Bayer.
Care Deserts are closer than you think
The need to help increase access to health and nutrition has never been greater. This is why the “Take Care, Now” campaign will be brought to events this fall, starting with Farm Progress Show, taking place in Decatur, Illinois, in August. The campaign will also be at all six Luke Bryan Farm Tour concerts, where Bayer is a presenting sponsor, and has partnered with Kroger along the way.
Scroll through our map to see our stops in rural communities that we are supporting. And if you want to express your support to farmers and rural America we encourage you to share the hashtag #HerestotheFarmer on your social media channels.
Scroll through our campaign stops.
August 29 to 31
As a global leader in agriculture, Bayer features its integrated solutions for farmers from seeds and traits to digital farming solutions at the Farm Progress Show.
Nearest care desert:
Fayette County Illinois, 60 miles away
Food Insecurity Rate: 12.1% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle
Physician Deficit: -72% gap to achieve the population to practitioner target ratio
September 14 at Mulberry Orchard
Nearest care desert:
Jackson Kentucky, 127 miles away
Food Insecurity Rate: 19.1% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle
Physician Deficit: -59% gap to achieve the population to practitioner target ratio
September 15 at Miller Family Farm
Nearest care desert:
Pike Ohio, 72 miles away
Food Insecurity Rate: 17.6% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle
Physician Deficit: -74% gap to achieve the population to practitioner target ratio
September 16 at John Schaendorf Dairy
Nearest care desert:
Calhoun County Michigan, 69 miles away
Food Insecurity Rate: 13% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle
Physician Deficit: -92% gap to achieve the population to practitioner target ratio
September 21 at Schnell Family Farms
Nearest care desert:
Clark Country Missouri, 151 miles away
Food Insecurity Rate: 12.5% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle
Physician Deficit: -32% gap to achieve the population to practitioner target ratio
September 22 and 23
The Kroger Wellness Festival is a free public event spanning 6 city blocks in downtown Cincinnati. With several featured sponsors including Bayer, the festival focuses on physical and mental health for all.
Nearest care desert:
Brown County, 50 miles away
Food Insecurity Rate: 14% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle
Physician Deficit: -31% gap to achieve the population to practitioner target ratio
September 22 at Klondike Farms
Nearest care desert:
Adams Wisconsin, 99 miles away
Food Insecurity Rate: 10.9% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle
Physician Deficit: -75% gap to achieve the population to practitioner target ratio
September 23 at Gar-Lin Dairy LLC
Nearest care desert:
Clayton County Iowa, 116 miles away
Food Insecurity Rate: 9.5% of people lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle
Physician Deficit: -50% gap to achieve the population to practitioner target ratio
