GOBHI's Digital Produce Prescription Program: Improving Access to Healthy Food in Rural Oregon

"I'm impressed by how user-friendly the system is and how quickly prescribers learn to navigate it. The Admin Dashboard is also an outstanding feature that enhances efficiency."

Marci McMurphy

Community Engagement and Program Specialist at GOBHI

Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Inc (GOBHI) is a rural behavioral health and social services organization providing behavioral health, non-emergent medical transportation, and community engagement services in 12 rural and frontier counties in Oregon. GOBHI is a co-owner of the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization, one of Oregon Medicaid's Community Care Organizations.

As part of their services to members, GOBHI runs Frontier Veggie Rx to support healthy eating in Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Lake, Malheur, Umatilla, Sherman, Wallowa, and Wheeler counties. Patients are referred to GOBHI by approved prescribers, and if eligible, Frontier Veggie Rx issues either a digital payment, valid at iQpay retailers, for single-ingredient fruits and vegetables or paper voucher, valid at participating small local grocers.

The Problem

Paper vouchers proved difficult to manage at scale and costly to administer. The process of distributing paper booklets and processing mail-based reimbursements was time-consuming. As the program prepared to grow, GOBHI needed a digital solution that could automate monthly issuance, retailer settlement, and item-level restrictions.

"The printing, shipping, and accounting associated with paper vouchers are cost-prohibitive in terms of both staff time and financial resources." – Marci

The Solution

GOBHI and iQpay partnered to build a digital Frontier Veggie Rx program tailored to the intervention's needs. Each month for twelve months, eligible members receive either $30 or $60 toward single-ingredient fruits and vegetables at participating retail locations. Once enrolled, members receive their produce prescriptions automatically each month, eliminating the need for administrator intervention.

The Result

The program launched on July 1, 2024, and now covers 646 households across ten counties. Healthcare organizations and community groups can prescribe the benefit, with the entire system running on digital infrastructure that tracks everything automatically.

The program is achieving 95% operational efficiency, as reported by GOBHI. McMurphy notes that the digital platform has simplified their work considerably. Rural families who previously struggled to access services can now participate more easily. The digital shift enables faster benefit distribution, better reach into remote areas, and a smoother experience across the board, freeing GOBHI to focus on what matters most: helping communities get healthier.