MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, one of four
Vanguard hospitals in Cook County, is offering healthier choices in its
cafeteria and vending machines. (Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune /
April 24, 2012)
By Monica Eng,
Chicago Tribune reporter * 9:51 p.m.
CDT, April
24, 2012
Salad bars stocked with fruits, grains and heart-healthy veggies. Meat
produced without antibiotics. And farmers markets right outside the
building.
"This really fit in with our mission to help people achieve health for life," said Scott Steiner, the chief operating officer of MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, which is part of the Vanguard Health Chicago and has, among changes, removed its deep fryers, overhauled vending machine offerings and added a high-nutrition, low-cost salad bar in its cafeteria.
Steiner said that some of the changes have elicited grumbling from staff members, but "with each change the grumbling has decreased, and for everyone one who complains about the changes, two people thank us and say that this is the kind of place where they want to work."
Calls to other large hospital groups in the Chicago area reveal that Vanguard is breaking new ground.
In recent years, hospitals have been cleaning up
their food choices, adding healthier fare for patients, visitors and employees.
Now, Vanguard Health Chicago,
which operates four hospitals in Cook County, is taking the next step, one that
few others have taken: a phasing out of all "sugar-loaded beverages,'' including
soda and sports and energy drinks, starting now.
Over the course of this year, the hospital group hopes to refine its choices,
eventually phasing out diet drinks and sweetened juices until it offers only
unsweetened drinks or those that contain less than about a teaspoon of sugar per
12-ounce serving. By comparison, a can of Coke contains more than 7
teaspoons.
The change comes at a time when the American obesity
rate has hit an all-time high and certain foods, especially sugar-sweetened
beverages, are coming under increased scrutiny for their role. One
government-funded study found that sugar-sweetened beverages accounted for 20 to
40 percent of all weight gained by Americans between 1977 and 2007.
"Sodas, sports drinks and other drinks that are
artificially loaded with sugar are associated with a host of negative health
effects and increase the risk of obesity, diabetes,
heart
attacks, dental problems and even cancer,"
said Dr. Anthony J. Tedeschi, Vanguard Health's chief medical officer. "The
health care community has an obligation not only to treat but to help prevent
these conditions, some of which are at epidemic levels."
Once the changes have been implemented, Vanguard Health Chicago says, more
than "6,000 employees and tens of thousands of patients and visitors will
substantively benefit from a healthier, reduced sugar environment.""This really fit in with our mission to help people achieve health for life," said Scott Steiner, the chief operating officer of MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, which is part of the Vanguard Health Chicago and has, among changes, removed its deep fryers, overhauled vending machine offerings and added a high-nutrition, low-cost salad bar in its cafeteria.
Steiner said that some of the changes have elicited grumbling from staff members, but "with each change the grumbling has decreased, and for everyone one who complains about the changes, two people thank us and say that this is the kind of place where they want to work."
Calls to other large hospital groups in the Chicago area reveal that Vanguard is breaking new ground.
"I think this is pretty rare," said Cheryl Reed,
communications director of University
of Chicago Medical Center, where sugar-sweetened beverages are available.
The hospital does offer calorie counts at its food outlets.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital also still serves sugary beverages but says it places them and other less healthful options in the back of the cafeteria, while more nutritious options are stationed at the front.
Rush University Medical Center and Advocate Health Care also said they have no plans to remove sugar-sweetened beverages. Cook County Hospitals, however, have recently implemented the county Health Department's "Rethink Your Drink" campaign that encourages citizens to choose more healthful beverage options.
"The posters for (Rethink Your Drink) are all over," Cook County Hospital Systems spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said. Although there are still sugar-sweetened beverages offered at Cook County facilities, the hospital now stocks more water in vending machines and is aggressively encouraging its employees to be mindful of the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages, Kollias said.
"That's their prerogative, but we would view that move as unfortunate," said Tim Bramlet of the Illinois Beverage Association, which represents bottlers in the state. "We believe that having a healthy lifestyle is about balanced diet and moderation, and bans don't promote that."
John Bluford is a trustee and former chairman of the 6,000-strong American Hospital Association, where last year he led a formal call to "create a culture of health and wellness in hospitals … to lead the way in improving the health of the communities we serve."
At Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo., where Bluford serves as president and CEO, he said they have revamped the vending options, encouraged more walking and reduced the amount of fried foods in the cafeteria. He predicts the trend will gain steam as hospitals see a "return on investment."
"No. 1, those institution that have done it for a longer period have already seen positive results," he said. "And No. 2, it's the right thing to do."
Northwestern Memorial Hospital also still serves sugary beverages but says it places them and other less healthful options in the back of the cafeteria, while more nutritious options are stationed at the front.
Rush University Medical Center and Advocate Health Care also said they have no plans to remove sugar-sweetened beverages. Cook County Hospitals, however, have recently implemented the county Health Department's "Rethink Your Drink" campaign that encourages citizens to choose more healthful beverage options.
"The posters for (Rethink Your Drink) are all over," Cook County Hospital Systems spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said. Although there are still sugar-sweetened beverages offered at Cook County facilities, the hospital now stocks more water in vending machines and is aggressively encouraging its employees to be mindful of the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages, Kollias said.
As national coordinator for the Healthy
Food in Health Care program, Michelle Gottlieb said the sugar-sweetened
beverage issue really took off for hospitals about a year ago.
This year 10 Boston hospitals announced a variety
of strategies to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, including
total elimination at one. The move came after Boston Mayor Thomas Menino phased
out sugary beverages in all city buildings last year. Other notable municipal
awareness efforts on the issue have sprouted in Los Angeles, Philadelphia,
Vermont and New York
City, advocates note.
Much of the work on this issue has been supported
by research from the American Heart
Association, which has long urged Americans to limit added sugar consumption
to reduce risks of heart
disease, diabetes and obesity. The group recommends no more than six and
nine teaspoons a day for women and men, respectively. Government surveys,
however, show average intake for Americans to be about 22 teaspoons.
Institutions that adopt sugary-beverage reduction
measures are eligible for federal Communities Putting Prevention to Work grants
from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. The grants are meant to create healthier
food environments, "where the healthy choice becomes the easy choice," according
to the Illinois Public Health Institute's Elissa Bassler, who is offering
technical assistance to Vanguard and hosting a symposium Wednesday on clinical
approaches to reducing sugary beverage consumption in Chicago.
But not everyone agrees with the move."That's their prerogative, but we would view that move as unfortunate," said Tim Bramlet of the Illinois Beverage Association, which represents bottlers in the state. "We believe that having a healthy lifestyle is about balanced diet and moderation, and bans don't promote that."
John Bluford is a trustee and former chairman of the 6,000-strong American Hospital Association, where last year he led a formal call to "create a culture of health and wellness in hospitals … to lead the way in improving the health of the communities we serve."
At Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo., where Bluford serves as president and CEO, he said they have revamped the vending options, encouraged more walking and reduced the amount of fried foods in the cafeteria. He predicts the trend will gain steam as hospitals see a "return on investment."
"No. 1, those institution that have done it for a longer period have already seen positive results," he said. "And No. 2, it's the right thing to do."
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