September 2013: Healthy Food in Health Care Newsletter

September Newsletter from the HCWH Healthy Food in Health Care Program

 
HEALTHY FOOD IN HEALTH CARE
September 2013
General HFHC newsletter header
Health Care Food Service Forum in Vermont a Success

 

In June, Health Care Without Harm, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Fletcher Allen Center for Nutrition and Healthy Food Systems, Farm to Institution New England, and Wake Robin (a continuing care retirement community in Shelbourne, Vermont), sponsored a forum to bring together distributors and producers alongside health care food service management to identify opportunities for increasing access to local and sustainable foods in the state of Vermont.

The forum was a first of its kind in the state to assemble together hospital food service directors, key Vermont supply chain partners, hospital administrators, and carefully selected champions, to address procurement barriers and opportunities for hospitals to source local, sustainable foods. The event covered a range of topics aimed at building relationships among producers, distributors, and buyers. 

The opportunity to both hear from the vendors...and to be heard by them...bridged gaps that we have struggled with since we began this work. Building these relationships is our best and fastest way to make progress.

-- Ginny Flanders,
Nutrition and Food Service Director, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital


Forum attendees discussed strategies for increasing the purchasing of local and sustainable products through cooperative or pooled purchases by a group of connected health care facilities. This collective buying is similar to the established purchasing model that utilizes Group Purchasing Organizations (GPO), but places the hospital buyers in the driver's seat for identifying the food products and values they would like to support. Attendees also discussed creating more transparent ordering systems, tracking purchases, and how to identify sources of local and sustainably-produced items.

For more information on this and ongoing work in Vermont, contact New England Healthy Food in Health Care Coordinator Stacia Clinton at sclinton@hcwh.org.   

Policy Update and Action: Antibiotics   


Now that Congress is back in session, it has the opportunity to debate and pass two important bills that will regulate antibiotic use in animal agriculture. The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA, H.R. 1150) and the Prevention of Antibiotic Resistance Act (PARA, S. 1256) would protect eight classes of antibiotics important for treating sick people. They would withdraw the use of these antibiotics from food animal production unless animals or herds are sick with disease or unless drug companies can prove that their use does not harm human health.

Tell Congress how important these bills are today, by sending letters to your elected officials. Take action through Health Care Without Harm's website before the end of the month.

In other policy news on the antibiotics front, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recently announced its support of legislation that would collect and report information on antibiotic use in animal agriculture. The decision by the Legislative and Public Policy Committee of the Academy came after a review of the 2012 Antibiotic Resistance and Residue Workgroup Report, which identified advocating for research regarding antibiotic use in agriculture as an area of interest for the Academy. The Academy's Board of Directors accepted the recommendations in the report.
 
This year, two bills (H.R. 820 and S. 895) were introduced in Congress that would require collecting and reporting information on antibiotic use in animal agriculture. Both of these have been referred to House and Senate committees, and may be taken up on the Fall.
New Research from the Summer

Federal food subsidies for unhealthy foods are negatively impacting our health. Eating more fruits and vegetables can lower medical costs.

As biotech seed falters, insecticide use surges in corn belt. Across the Midwestern corn belt, a familiar battle has resumed, hidden in the soil. On one side are tiny, white larvae of the corn rootworm. On the other side are farmers and the insect-killing arsenal of modern agriculture.

MRSA: Farming Up Trouble. Microbiologists are trying to work out whether use of antibiotics on farms is fuelling the human epidemic of drug-resistant bacteria.
News from the Field: Healthy and Sustainable Food Signage at John Muir Medical Center, CA

John Muir Medical Center in northern California has been working with local vendors and sourcing sustainable, healthy food for years. To advertise this information, as well as promote healthier eating, the Medical Center revamped its café signs at its Concord and Walnut Creek campuses. These signs now provide a full list of ingredients as well as nutrition information for entrées, indicate whether food is vegan and/or gluten-free, and advertise whether ingredients are locally-sourced, organic, and/or healthy. The signs are also consistently branded with the John Muir Medical Center colors
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One of John Muir Medical Center's signs, advertising local and organic food
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Shortly after introducing the signs, the Concord café surveyed 58 café patrons, most of whom were predominantly staff. 77% of respondents indicated that that they had made at least one healthier choice as a result of the new signs. Half of the respondents answered that their impression of the value of the café improved -- even despite the global price increase that the café instituted during the redesign of its signs.

Alison Negrin, Executive Chef for the John Muir Concord campus, was surprised by the results, particularly because she did not make major changes to food preparation. "What it showed to me is that people respond to signage, and it really does help promote our message in an important way," said Negrin.

Lindsay Keach Bronstein, who designed the signs during her dietetic internship at John Muir Health System, noted she has food allergies, and is always combing through ingredients. "It's especially important in a hospital for people to feel safe about their food choices," she said. Bronstein added, "these signs also give John Muir credit for the amazing work it's doing on healthy and sustainable food."
Clinician Champion: Sylvia Weber at Miriam Hospital
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Sylvia Weber, MSN, PCNS, currently works in the psychiatric gerontology liaison program at Miriam Hospital and is the Government Relations consultant to the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. In 1983, she retired as a Lt. Colonel from the armed forces reserve program, having held positions of staff nurse, training officer, flight nurse, assistant chief nurse, and chief nurse. In 1974, Weber received the Eastern Air Force Reserve award for meritorious service. Weber is also a member of the American Nurses Association - Political Action Committee Board of Trustees. She is listed in the Nurse Luminary directory which features nurses committed to environmental issues. Healthy Food in Health Care caught up with Weber to talk about her environmental health advocacy efforts.  


Q. Could you describe your advocacy efforts surrounding environmental health and food?
A. I am active in my personal life and my professional life. I've been a member of the Sierra Club since 1970 and I am a member of Save the Bay, an organization with the mission to protect Narragansett Bay here in Rhode Island. I also write letters and meet with representatives regarding environmental health issues, both as a representative of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association and as a concerned citizen. Professionally, I co-chair the Rhode Island State Nurses Association Environmental Affairs Committee. I represent nursing on the Environmental Counsel of Rhode Island, and I represent the American Nurses Association as a coalition member in the group, 50 States United for Healthy Air.

Q. When and how did your interest in the intersection between human and environmental health begin?
A. My interest began because my older brother cared deeply about environmental issues when we were children. We grew up in Brooklyn and saw first hand how pollution impacted people's health. My concerns were deepened when I moved to Los Angeles to advance my nursing education and saw that city's smog problems. My interest in environmental health influenced me to minor in Public Health as a complement to my nursing major at UCLA. I have continued to view my work through an environmental health lens and today am especially concerned about GMO crops and fracking.

Q. In what ways are you able to integrate environmental health education and advocacy into your traditional schedule?
A. As a nurse, I advise patients and their families on environmental factors that can contribute to illness. I also share information with my colleagues, including working on a committee to develop a questionnaire for nurses to use to evaluate whether as illnesses may have an environmental cause. In my personal life I share information on environmental health with my family and friends, and I also "practice what I preach" as best I can by recycling, using non-toxic chemicals in the house, and by carefully choosing the food I buy.

Q. Any recommendations on how other clinicians can become more involved in advocating for a healthy food system?
A. First, I would recommend that they be aware of what they do in their own lives because as role models they lead by example. Second, they can use their time with patients as an opportunity to educate about environmental health issues when it's relevant to the patient. It's our job to help prevent disease and promote wellness in our communities. When it comes to health, we are all in it together.  We breathe the same air, our food comes from the same earth, and our health and well-being is dependent on each one of us.  
 

About Us

The Healthy Food in Health Care Program is a national initiative of Health Care Without Harm, which works with hospitals across the country to help improve the health and sustainability of their food services. For more information about the Healthy Food in Health Care Program, and to access a variety of tools and resources, visit www.healthyfoodinhealthcare.org.  

In This Issue
Health Care Food Service Forum in Vermont a Success
Policy Update and Action: Antibiotics
New Research
News from the Field: John Muir Medical Center, CA
Clinician Champion, Sylvia Weber, RN
Upcoming Events
New Resources
Our Program in the News
Newsletters Archived Online
Share Your Story
Contact Us
Pledge Update
Total Pledge Signers: 462

We welcome the following facilities who signed the pledge since June:

~Ahuja Medical Center, OH
~Alpena Regional Medical Center, MI
~Bedford Medical Center, OH
~Boston Children's Hospital, MA
~Conneaut Medical Center, OH
~Geneva Medical Center, OH
~Highline Medical Center
~Simi Valley Hospital, CA
~Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, WA
~St. Anthony Hospital, WA
~St. Clare Hospital, WA
~St. Francis Hospital, WA
~St. Elizabeth Hospital, WA
~St. John Medical Center, OH
~St. John's Episcopal Hospital, NY
~St. Joseph Medical Center, WA
~Valley Medical Center, WA


Find out more about the Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge online.
Upcoming Events
1. Vermont Health Care Association Annual Conference and Trade Show, October 2
Healthy Food in Health Care's Stacia Clinton, Kathy King, Food Service Director at Wake Robin Retirement Community, and Abbey Willard from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture will speak about the farm to hospital efforts underway in Vermont and opportunities for long-term care facilities to become involved. To learn more, email Stacia Clinton or Kathy King.

2. Sustainable Seafood Throwdown, Burlington, VT, October 4
Our partners, Cape Ann Farmers Market and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA) are hosting a "Sustainable Seafood Throwdown" at Fletcher Allen Health Care. Learn more about this event online.

3. 2013 Annual HEN Film Feastival and Awards Banquet, Houston, TX, October 20
Celebrate a year of  Hunger and Environmental Nutrition (HEN) achievement, dine on sustainable Texas fare, and network with HEN members. This year HEN's Film Feastival will screen the documentary, A Place at The Table, followed by an expert panel. Early registration: $30 for non-HEN members and $20 for HEN members. Visit www.hendpg.org for more announcements.

4. Food Matters Training - Becoming an Effective Advocate for Healthy Food Policy, Portland, OR, December 13.
This training is designed to introduce a clinical audience to issues related to our current food system and human/population health, and to provide clinicians with hands on training to advocate for healthy food environments. For more information, visit the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility website.

5. National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, Austin, TX, April 15-18
This year, we are partnering with the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference to share the experiences, best practices, and success stories of health care institutions that are connecting with local and sustainable farmers to support healthy communities. To learn more or submit a proposal to present, visit the conference website here.

6. CleanMed, Cleveland, OH, June 2-5
Save the date for this year's CleanMed conference, the premier national environmental conference for leaders in health care sustainability. Consider submitting a presentation on healthy, sustainable foods in health care by October 11. Read more details online.
New Resources 
1. Balanced Menus Brochure
Learn more about how hospitals can reduce the amount of meat on their menus and use their cost savings to invest in more sustainable meat by downloading our revised Balanced Menus brochure.
Our Program in the News 
Healthy Food in Health Care has been featured in the news frequently since June. Check out the stories below:

1. Disruptive Innovators: Hospitals Increase Community Access to Healthier Foods
Health Care Finance News

2. Michigan Green Healthcare Conference focuses on food as an aspect of sustainability
MLive

3. Docs ask: Does "do no harm" apply to food served in hospitals?
KRCB North Bay Public Media

4. Down on the Organic Dairy Farm
Today's Dietitian

5. Hospitals Go Farm Fresh
PCC Natural Markets

6. Food: Too Much, Too Little, Too Bad
San Francisco Medicine

7. Healthier hospital food can affect health of patients and the planet      
Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Journal

8. My Turn: Creating healthy communities, economic opportunity and a thriving future for local agriculture (link unavailable)
BurlingtonFreePress.com
                    
9. The Wakening That's Happening: Local, Sustainable Food
Truthout   
            
10. Diane Imrie: Sustainability Champion (Food Service Director of the Month)
Food Service Director
Newsletters Archived Online 
All of our past newsletters are available on our website to download for free.
Share Your Story
If you would like to share your story in our next issue, contact Sapna Thottathil, Healthy Food in Health Care Program: sapna@sfbaypsr.org.
Contact Us 
For more information about the Healthy Food in Health Care Program, contact one of our regional organizers.