Nonprofit hospitals are expanding “‘upstream’ prevention-based programs that can help reduce the burden of chronic disease,” says a blog at the site Health Care Without Harm. Its author, Lucia Sayre, says an IRS ruling allows the hospitals to count spending “to ensure adequate nutrition” toward their obligation to allot a portion of their gross revenue for community benefit. In Massachusetts, hospitals had 80 different activities, “including nutrition education, sponsorship of neighborhood farmers markets, fruit and vegetable prescription programs, and grants to support neighborhood-level work through community health centers.” So-called produce prescriptions, which discount the cost of fresh produce to targeted patients, are attracting attention, such as the Farmacy Stand at a Houston hospital.