350+ Hospitals Celebrate Food Day With Their Commitment to Building Sustainable Food Systems

On October 24, 352 hospitals around the country will serve 126,600 meals that feature meat or poultry raised without non-therapeutic antibiotics. Spearheaded by Health Care Without Harm, these hospitals are leading a nationwide movement within health care to eliminate the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture and build a healthy, sustainable food supply.

On Food Day alone, participating hospitals will collectively spend $146,345 on 16,600 pounds of chicken, 10,000 pounds of beef, and 5,000 pounds of pork and other meats that are raised without these unnecessary antibiotics. Many hospitals participating in Food Day regularly include meat raised without routine antibiotics in patient meals and cafeterias offerings, and if amplified over the course of a year, this could represent more than 46 million meals and $53 million spent on more sustainably raised meat and poultry.

The connection between the unnecessary use of antibiotics in animal agriculture and antibiotic resistance in humans is a major concern among health experts. Four times the amount of antibiotics are used for industrial animal agriculture (29 million pounds) compared to human medicine (seven million pounds). This overuse in animals contributes to antibiotic resistant “superbugs”. In the United States alone, these superbugs are responsible for 23,000 deaths each year, eight million hospital stays, and $55 billion in health costs and lost productivity.

Food Day Snapshot

- 352 participating hospitals
- 126,600 meals served
- $146,345 spent on 31,600 pounds of meat

Over the course of a year, this could represent more than 46 million meals and $53 million spent on more sustainably raised meat and poultry.

A recent report from the Consumer Reports National Research Center found that 85 percent of doctors surveyed had diagnosed one or more of their patients with a multi-drug resistant bacterial infection within the past year and that 93 percent of doctors are concerned with the use of antibiotics in livestock production facilities for animals that are not sick.

“In order to solve the growing antibiotic resistance crisis in medicine we need to transform animal agriculture,” said Gary Cohen, president and co-founder of Health Care Without Harm. “Hospitals – like these participating in Food Day – can lead this transformation by using their purchasing power to serve healthier food to their patients and employees as well as drive healthy, sustainable practices in the communities they serve.”

Working closely with Health Care Without Harm’s national Healthy Food in Health Care program, 770 hospitals across the United States have committed to purchasing and serving healthier, more sustainably produced foods within their own facilities.

In addition, several Food Day participants are using this opportunity to spur new commitments within their own facilities and throughout the communities they serve. For example, the Massachusetts Medical Society adopted a policy to educate the public about antibiotic resistance and the use of non-therapeutic antibiotics in animal agriculture. In September 2014 the Massachusetts Hospital Association Board of Trustees agreed to develop an effort to promote the purchase of meats raised without routine antibiotics. 

"We're thrilled to have so many hospitals across the country participating in Food Day this year,” said Lilia Smelkova, Food Day Campaign Manager. “Conditions on large factory farms are causing significant human and environmental health problems, and this type of market-based advocacy sends a direct message to meat and poultry producers that these practices need to change."

“Hospitals need to drive market and policy changes that protect antibiotics and prevent their overuse in animal agriculture,” said Cohen. “If every hospital in the country committed to serving meat raised without antibiotics year-round, we’re looking at over 750 million meals served and $868 million spent on healthy, sustainably raised meat – just in the health care sector alone. Imagine what that could do to protect antibiotics and the future of our health care system.”

For more information, or to schedule and interview to discuss our Food Day efforts, please contact Benn Grover, Director of Communications. 

Participating Hospitals

In all, 352 facilities participated in Food Day 2014. They include: 

• Alameda Health System
• Alexian Brothers Health System
• Alexian Rehab Hospital
• Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
• Ascension St. Vincent's Hospital
• Asension Health SMCA
• Baptist Health System - Baptist Medical Center
• Baptist Memorial Hospital - Booneville
• Baptist Memorial Hospital - Tipton
• Baptist Memorial Hospital NM
• Bayfront Health Port Charlotte
• Baystate Health
• Beaumont Hospital
• Bergen Regional Medical Center
• Berkshire Health Systems
• Bon Secours Community Hospital
• Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center
• Bon Secours Good Samaritan Hospital
• Bon Secours St Francis Eastside
• Borgess Lee Memorial
• Borgess Medical Center
• Borgess Pipp Hospital
• Boston Medical Center
• Brighton Center for Recovery
• Bronson Battle Creek
• Brookwood Medical Center
• Cancer Treatment Centers of America
• Carilion Clinic
• Carolinas Healthcare System Lincoln
• Caromont Regional Medical Center
• Carondelet Tucson
• Catholic Health Initiatives
• Central Mississippi Medical Center
• Chenango Memorial Hospital
• Children's Healthcare at Scottish Rite
• Children's Hospital Oakland
• Children's Hospital St. Louis
• College Station Medical Center
• Colombia St. Mary's Ozaukee
• Columbia Memorial Hospital
• Columbia St. Mary's Milwaukee
• Connecticut Mental Health Center
• Cooley Dickinson Hospital
• Cottage Hospital
• Danbury Hospital
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
• Deaconess Hospital
• Des Peres Hospitall/Tenet
• DMC - Tenet
• Doctors Hospital at White rock Lake
• ElderHealth & Living
• Emerson Hospital
• Emory Health Care
• Emory Johns Creek Hospital
• Enloe Medical Center
• Exeter Hospital
• Florida Medical Center a campus of North Shore
• Forest Hills Hospital
• Frye Regional Medical Center
• Genesys Regional Medical Center
• Gladman Mental Health Rehabilitation Center
• Good Samaritan Hosptital Baltimore
• Grace Cottage Hospital
• Granville Medical Center
• Griffin Hospital
• Gundersen Health System
• Harborview Medical Center
• Harris Regional Hospital
• Haywood Regional Hospital
• HealthSouth Rehabilitation Miami
• Heywood Hospital
• Hilton Head Hospital
• Hilton Head Medical Center
• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
• HSHS St. Mary's Hospital
• Hudson Hospital
• Huggins Hospital
• Inova - Mt. Vernon Hospital
• John Muir Health
• Kaiser Permanente
• Kenmore Mercy Hospital
• Kent Hospital/ Care New England
• Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
• Lancaster General Health
• LeBonheur Children Hospital
• Lee Memorial Health System
• LifeBridge Health
• LincolnHealth
• Los Alamitos Medical Center
• Lourdes Medical Center
• Lowell General Hospital
• LRGHealthcare
• Mad River Community Hospital
• Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC
• MaineGeneral Health
• McLaren Bay Region
• McLaren Medical Center
• McLaren Northern
• MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
• MedStar Harbor Hospital
• MedStar Montgomery Medical Center
• MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
• Mercy Medical Center
• Methodist North
• Metro West Medical Center
• Midtown Medical Center
• Mobile Infirmary
• MultiCare Health System Tacoma General Hospital/Mary Bridge Children's Hospital
• MultiCare Health Systems Auburn Medical Center
• Multicare Health Systems Good Samaritan
• Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital
• New England Baptist Hospital
• New London Hospital
• New Milford Hospital
• Newport Hospital
• North Country Hospital
• North Knoxville Medical Center
• North Shore LIJ-Stern Center for Rehabilitation
• North Shore Medical Center
• North Shore University Hospital
• North Shore-LIJ Health System @ Plainview
• North Shore-LIJ Health System @ Syosset
• Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital
• Northside Hospital Forsyth
• Northwest Hospital Medical Center
• Novant Brunswick Medical Center
• Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center
• Novant Health Rowan Medical Center
• OCH Regional Medical Center
• Olean General Hospital
• Oregon Health & Science University
• Otsego memorial Hospital
• Our Lady of Bellefonte
• Our Lady of Lourdes
• Overlake Medical Center
• Overlook Medical Center
• Palmetto General Hospital (Tenet)
• Palmetto Hospital -Tenet
• Palomar Health
• Pen Bay Medical Center
• Phoenix Baptist Hospital
• Placentia-Linda Hospital
• Porter Hospital
• Providence Hospital Mobile
• Providence Hospital Waco
• Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
• Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg
• Regions Hospital
• Resolute Health
• Rutland Regional Medical Center
• Sacred Heart Health System
• Saint Anthony Hospital
• Saint Thomas Health Nashville
• Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital
• Saint Thomas West Hospital
• Samaritan Hospital
• San Francisco VA Medical Center
• San Ramon Regional Medical Center
• Santa Rosa Medical Center
• Seattle Children's Hospital
• Selby Baptist Medical Center
• Sentara Obici Hospital
• Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital
• Seton Health - Dell Children's Hospital
• Seton Northwest Hospital
• Seton Williamson
• Sharp Healthcare
• Shriners Hospital for Children
• Sierra Providence Health Network
• Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center
• Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital
• Sinai Hospital - LifeBridge
• South County Hospital
• Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
• Sparks Regional Medical Center
• Spaulding Nursing & Therapy Center West Roxbury
• Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
• Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod
• Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center
• St Agnes Hospital
• St John River District Hospital
• St Joseph Mercy Hospital
• St Mary's Medical Center
• St Vincent Heart Center
• St Vincent Women's
• St Vincent's Medical Bridgeport
• St. Agnes Baltimore
• St. Alexius Medical Center
• St. Catherine's Providence Park
• St. Cloud Hospital
• St. Francis Downton Greenville
• St. John Hospital & Medical Center Moross Campus
• St. John Macomb Hospital
• St. John Oakland Hospital
• St. Joseph Health, St. Mary
• St. Joseph Hospital Kokomo
• St. Luke's Baptist Hospital
• St. Mary's Hospital Richmond
• St. Mary's Medical Center
• St. Mary's Medical Center Evansville
• St. Mary's of Michigan Saginaw
• St. Mary's of Michigan Standish
• St. Thomas Hickman Hospital
• St. Vincent Carmel Hospital
• St. Vincent Heart Center
• St. Vincent's Birmingham
• St. Vincent's Blount Hospital
• St. Vincent's East
• St. Vincent's Medical Center Bridgeport
• St. Vincent's Riverside
• St. Vincent's St. Clair Hospital
• St.Vincent Hospital Indianapolis
• Stafford Hospital
• Stanford Health Care
• Stanford Health Care
• Staten Island Hospital South
• Staten Island University Hospital North Site
• Stillwater Medical Center
• Summit Pacific Medical Center
• Swain County Hospital
• Swedish Covenant Hospital
• Swedish Edmonds
• Swedish Health Services
• Tawas St. Joseph Hospital
• Tenet
• Tenet Coral Gables Hospital
• Tenet Florida Medical Center
• Tenet North Shore Medical Center
• Texas Children's Hospital, Pavilion for Women
• The Children's Institute
• The Residence at Tall Pines
• The Valley Hospital
• ThedaCare
• Tomah Memorial Hospital
• Tomball Regional Medical Center
• UC Davis Health System
• UC San Diego
• UCLA Health
• UCSF Medical Center
• Union Hospital of Cecil County
• United Medical Center
• University Hospitals
• University of CT Health Center
• University of Maryland Medical Center
• University of Washington Medical Center
• UVA Health System
• UW| Valley Medical Center
• VA Medical Center
• Valley View Hospital
• VAMC Manchester
• Virginia Mason Medical Center
• Wake Robin Life Care Community
• Washington Hospital
• WellSpan Health
• Wentworth-Douglass
• West Kendall Baptist Hospital
• West Virginia University Healthcare
• Westfieldshospital
• Women & Infants Hospital
• Yale New Haven Hospital