SANTA PAULA, CA - As a leader in the citrus category, Limoneira is leveraging its resources to support those in need as the COVID-19 virus continues to progress. Harold Edwards, CEO of the company, saw a unique opportunity to aid doctors and nurses at Northwell Health Facilities in New York, pledging to distribute Limoneira’s premium lemons to multiple hospitals.

“Limoneira is donating lemons for doctors and nurses in five New York City hospitals that are part of Northwell’s operations,” Edwards said. “As you’ve heard and read, hospital staffs are dealing with this virus without adequate protection, and they are working exhausting schedules. Giving them lemons will provide a little vitamin C help.”

While many of us have been working to strengthen the food industry, it is also paramount that we support healthcare professionals throughout this unprecedented crisis.

“We greatly appreciate Limoneira’s support and generosity,” said Susan Rassekh, Community Relations Manager for Northwell. “It’s an incredibly thoughtful gesture."

Through the company’s Take a Health Stand™ educational campaign, Limoneira has become aware that in addition to its citrus’ antioxidant qualities, vitamin C plays a crucial role in helping the immune system to adapt to new threats and conditions. Dr. Andrew Weber, a pulmonologist and critical-care specialist affiliated with two Northwell Health facilities on Long Island, said his intensive-care patients with the coronavirus immediately receive 1,500 milligrams of intravenous vitamin C.

“The regimen is based on experimental treatments administered to people with the coronavirus in Shanghai, China,” Weber said. “Identical amounts of the powerful antioxidant are then readministered three or four times a day. The patients who received vitamin C did significantly better than those who did not get vitamin C.”

Jason Molinet, a spokesman for Northwell—which operates 23 hospitals, including Lenox Hill Hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side—said vitamin C was being “widely used” as a coronavirus treatment throughout the system, but noted that medication protocols varied from patient to patient.

“Immunity messaging and other relevant information is being shared as part of Limoneira’s Take a Healthy Stand educational campaign, which incorporates elements from the Food as Medicine movement taking hold nationwide,” said Megan Roosevelt, a Limoneira Nutritionist and Founder of Healthy Grocery Girl®.

Limoneira is also donating lemons to The Ventura County Medical Center, Community Memorial, Food Share, SPIRIT, and Ventura's Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA). VCAAA is currently hosting a food pantry for people 60 and older and individuals with disabilities.

“Food as Medicine maintains that fresh, healthy produce such as lemons can mitigate serious health concerns,” Roosevelt continued. “Eating whole, nutritious foods is important because their unique substances work synergistically to create an effect that can’t be replicated by taking a supplement.”

As industry operators continue finding unique ways to distribute amidst the COVID-19 crisis, keep checking in on AndNowUKnow for the latest reports.

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