020620 Fast Food at Nation's Top Hospitals

Detroit, MI - Fast food and health care seem an unlikely pair.

But a new study shows that fast food franchises are selling their wares in some of the most health- conscious of places -- hospitals.

More than a third of the nation's 16 top hospitals boast onsite regional or national fast food franchises, according to a University of Michigan Health System and Ann Arbor VA Medical Center survey.

Michigan Health System research fellow Peter Cram said the high-calorie havens might send mixed messages to hospital patients, visitors and employees.

"On one hand we say obesity is linked to fast food and at the same time we make it easy to get in health institutions," Cram said.

He said 18% of adult Americans are considered to be obese.

Cram and his colleagues performed a telephone survey of the 16 top hospitals listed in the U.S. News & World Report's 2001 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals."

The six hospitals that have at least one fast food restaurant include Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis; The Cleveland Clinic; Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.; Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore; UCLA Medical Center; and University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Mich.

New York Presbyterian Hospital closed a Burger King franchise in 1999, but reopened the restaurant as a hospital-owned franchise.

In a move aimed at pleasing hungry employees, Johns Hopkins Hospital chose to open a Subway about four months ago.

"I think that as a hospital we certainly have a responsibility to be sure that we are not adding to the health problems of our staff or any of our guests," said Kenneth Grant, vice president of general services.

"We were careful in what we selected and believe that from a healthy choice standpoint, Subway provides those options."

Grant said he would try to avoid bringing unhealthy food choices to the hospital, but said he's also realistic.

"Because I don't sell it doesn't mean that our employees are not going to buy it," he said.

At the University of Michigan Medical Center's Wendy's, dietitians work with the franchise on the Healthy Dining Program, which identifies healthier "MFit" dining choices on the menu and suggests preparation methods.

Dietitian Jo Ann Hattner said hospitals need to offer healthy options.

"I guess my only hope is that there would be a salad bar to complement the fast food," said Hattner, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "And within those fast food menus might be some healthier choices."

Hattner said the cost of preparing and serving fresh food -- "which we would prefer, of course," -- may be prohibitive, especially on a 24-hour basis.

"A hospital crowd is a captive crowd and a lot of people are working shifts where (the cafeteria) is the only place to get a hot meal," Hattner said.

"What it really brings to mind is whether or not the government can say all of these things about obesity but perhaps isn't willing to subsidize what goes into our hospitals," she said. "It's really a question of what we're willing to do to ensure that there is healthy food."

Sheila Cohn, nutrition coordinator for the National Restaurant Association, said many fast food restaurants are serving healthy fare, such as salads and grilled chicken sandwiches.

"What it comes down to, as with all restaurants, is that they are there to serve the consumer," said Cohn, a registered dietitian. "They tap into what people want."

Even Cram admits that sometimes, people want fast food.

"I think that all of us on occasion have visited Wendy's" at the University of Michigan Medical Center, Cram said.

"But it's really a `do as I say not as I do' type of thing."

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com