UCLA and VA partner to revive West LA campus garden for veterans

For as long as Cyntrea Cotton can remember, doctors told the New York native and U.S. Air Force veteran that her chances of developing high blood pressure were elevated. With a long family history of hypertension, they warned, she would likely have to manage high blood pressure for the rest of her life.

"But today, it's gone," Cotton said. "I no longer have high blood pressure, after eating more raw and less-processed foods. I'm 48 years old now and healthier than ever."

Cotton credits the dramatic improvement in her health to a wholesome, nutrient-rich and organic-heavy diet. The inspiration for this lifestyle change began with a tiny seed planted in the Veteran's Garden at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, near the university.

"The Veteran's Garden is the largest farm integrated within a health system in the country," said Dr. Katie Fruin, a preventive medicine fellow with the UCLA Department of Clinical Nutrition. "The garden can grow produce for 1,200 veterans. However, when the garden's directors retired, their positions were never refilled, leaving this amazing campus resource underutilized."

Then in 2021, Jennifer Allen, a nurse practitioner and Whole Health Program Manager at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Health Care System, began working to restore the once thriving 15-acre garden.

Led by Allen, VA staff and volunteers - including UCLA Health staff, veterans and students - are working to revive this campus resource. Most of their work in the garden involves growing fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers; many of the volunteers have noted the emotional and physical impact the project has had on them.

Fruin, with the support of UCLA's clinical nutrition department, is launching a fundraising campaign to hire a full-time garden manager and purchase additional supplies to cultivate the garden, creating a space where veterans experiencing food insecurity or post-traumatic stress disorder can find a sense of community and safety.

"The veterans I've met through this project, many of whom have said that agricultural therapy has saved their lives and families, have deeply impacted me," Fruin said. "I think it's easy to overlook the fact that in our medical model, life-saving interventions can extend beyond clinic visits and medications.

"For so many veterans, the time they've spent in the garden after their service and the trauma they've endured have been the most crucial part of their healing," she said. "As a clinician and as an American, working to make this a reality for our veterans here in West Los Angeles and across the country is what drives me."

The VA Whole Health Department, inspired by the positive impact the garden has had on veteran volunteers, aims to establish agricultural therapy programs and career training for those interested in agriculture. Working together, the VA and UCLA Health hope to inspire a national model of health system-supported agriculture.

Food as medicine

Another driver involves preventive medicine, or in this case, food as medicine. The goal: more inspiring stories such as Cotton's, which demonstrate how what we put into our bodies can transform our lives.

"Preventing diet-related diseases is crucial, especially for veterans, who experience higher rates of food insecurity and preventable conditions," Fruin said. A quarter of veterans face food insecurity (double the rate of the civilian population), 87% have hypertension, 78% are overweight or obese, one in four have diabetes, she says, and about half of veterans experiencing food insecurity report suicidal ideation.

"While every health system has a pharmacy, few have a 'food F-A-R-M-acy,' though food is the most vital medicine," Fruin said. "The garden provides fresh produce and fosters a connection to how food is grown, enhancing understanding and ownership of one's health."

Early benefits

Though the garden is still in the early stages of cultivation, it's already helping veterans such as Cotton, who has battled PTSD for years following her time in service. She says the garden not only inspired a change in her diet but has also helped her develop a focused awareness and greater presence in the moment, enabling her to process PTSD-related symptoms more effectively.

"For those dealing with PTSD, it can feel isolating - but coming here, you realize you're not alone," Cotton said. "You see other veterans going through the same thing, and even though we all have different lives, being here gives us a shared goal."

Finding a sense of community, hope and healing is at the heart of the Veteran's Garden, and its momentum is just beginning to grow through the efforts of its volunteers.

"As a female veteran (with) a lot of anxiety, just feeling safe and being able to come here and let my guard down has been priceless," Cotton said. "Also, being around other veterans in a setting outside of the hospital is an entirely different experience. In the hospital, everyone is in pain and not talking, so it's hard to connect. But when you come here, you get to know people, open up and feel comfortable."

Tags: veterans | UCLA campus | health | nutrition