Kuljit Minhas is a man with many hats, working as a respiratory therapist and clinical manager at Royal Columbian Hospital, helping out on his family's blueberry farm, and now acting as an advocate for getting local produce into the hands of hospital staff and patients throughout the Lower Mainland.
The Abbotsford resident has a long history of supplying blueberries to the New Westminster hospital staff, but it wasn't until recently that this service was expanded to formally make the local blueberries part of the hospital's kitchen for the patients to enjoy.
This decision was partially spearheaded by dietitian Elaine Chu, who learned about other existing partnerships between small farms and hospitals to include local produce and offer seasonal menu items.
This gave her the idea to explore this option at Royal Columbian Hospital, where she formally served as the food operations manager.
"For me, it was a lightbulb moment as we are surrounded by farmland here," Chu said.
Through a conversation with Minhas, Chu was able to explore the possibility of making blueberries from the GKA Family Farm a part of the hospital's menu, replacing the canned fruit containers that patients had been receiving.
According to Royal Columbian Hospital's food operations regional manager, Savreet Dhillon, the feedback from patients was immediate and overwhelmingly positive.
"Staff were excited to serve something local," Dhillon said. "Patients smiled, waste went down, and the berries felt special."
The program was quickly expanded to a total of eight health-care facilities throughout the Lower Mainland, including Royal Columbian Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Carelife Fleetwood, Czorny Alzheimer Centre, Chilliwack General Hospital, Mission Memorial Hospital, Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, and Heritage Village.
In order to keep up with the demand, Minhas has even recruited his daughter to help him with the deliveries and engage with the hospital staff.
"It gives me goosebumps, knowing something we grow on our land helps patients feel cared for," Minhas said. "It is about giving back to the same community where I work and live."
Not only is this new partnership benefiting local farmers, but it is also providing patients with an extremely healthy fruit source.
According to a 2019 study from the National Library of Medicine, blueberries have been shown to have a positive effect in preventing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and neurological decline. Even consuming as little as a third of a cup of blueberries is enough to have a notable impact on disease risk reduction.
Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation CEO, Jeff Norris, said that the benefits of this arrangement extend even beyond this.
"Fresh, locally grown food not only nourishes patients but also strengthens the bonds between hospital, community, and environment," Norris said.
This blueberry integration has been in place for two months now, with Minhas hoping that it can continue and even expand for years to come.
