Health Circles

Community-engaged Lifestyle Medicine

We bring the pillars of lifestyle medicine to life within our community. By connecting people to nourishing food, to one another, and to supportive healthcare relationships, we build lasting partnerships with local farmers, community organizations, and health professionals who are deeply committed to our shared flourishing.

Read About Health Circles

Programs

  • In partnership with Springfield Community Gardens and Senior Age, OFHC serves as a contractor with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services under the CDC SPAN grant (2023–2028). Our scope includes technical assistance, provider onboarding and training, Health Circle implementation, and curriculum development for Food is Medicine programming in rural Texas and Shannon counties — two of Missouri’s most medically underserved communities. OFHC also provides bimonthly check-ins, evaluation support, and quality improvement guidance to community partners across the region.

  • Under the CDC High Obesity Program (2024–2028), administered through the University of Missouri, OFHC in partnership with Springfield Community Gardens and Senior Age, implements community health programming in rural Howell and Wright counties, where adult obesity rates significantly exceed state and national averages. OFHC’s role centers on Health Circle facilitation, lifestyle medicine integration, and building sustainable local capacity for food-based health interventions in communities with limited healthcare access.

  • As an implementation partner in the USDA Fresh Links grant led by Springfield Community Gardens, OFHC is responsible for Health Circles implementation across partner sites, facilitator training and mentorship at KC Farm School and Rustic Roots Sanctuary, curriculum development, and program evaluation and quality improvement. This initiative strengthens the connection between local food production and community health outcomes across the Ozarks region.

  • OFHC, Rustic Roots and Springfield Community Gardens are partners on this Missouri Foundation for Health initiative (2025–2028), which transforms underutilized community spaces into community-led food micro-hubs in Springfield, Ava, and Spanish Lake. Through this partnership, OFHC embeds Health Circles at each hub site — pairing local produce access with facilitated group health programming centered on food justice, lifestyle medicine, and community connection. The initiative prioritizes communities experiencing systemic disinvestment and limited access to fresh food and care.

  • In partnership with Drury University, Drew Lewis Foundation, and Springfield Community Gardens, OFHC delivers community health programming addressing health disparities in North Springfield. Sessions are co-led by healthcare professionals and community members, centering trust, cultural responsiveness, and preventive health education. Programming includes a weekly Health Circles with a produce prescription component connecting participants to fresh, local food as part of an integrated approach to health and wellbeing.

  • OFHC is developing Health Circle programming for refugee populations served by IISMO, integrating food is medicine principles, cultural health literacy, and hands-on engagement in the IISMO community garden. This emerging partnership reflects OFHC’s commitment to reaching the most marginalized community members with dignified, culturally responsive care.