Two local hospitals will be honored today for their wellness efforts in the area.

The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) will present its 2018 Ludwig Community Benefit Award to officials from Spectrum Health Big Rapids and Reed City Hospitals for their initiative in diabetes prevention in Mecosta County.

The initiative which started in 2016 partnered Spectrum Health Big Rapids & Reed City Hospitals with the city of Big Rapids, various community agencies, the Lions Club and area produce vendors to launch the Big Rapids Farmers Market Health Outreach.

In 2017, nearly 900 community members were provided free transportation to the farmers market and almost 150 purchased fruits and vegetables using the program’s vouchers. This represented a nearly threefold increase in those using the free transportation over 2016, and an increase of nearly 62 percent in use of the vouchers. More than 1,300 people sampled healthy food recipes, 22 received HbA1c testing, and 18 were connected to prediabetes and diabetes education.