Summarizing my research while offering a new perspective on hospital food.
While doing research, the same thought kept resurfacing as I was looking into the differences between UMMC and Stony Brook's dining services. Both hospitals care immensely for their patients. At times, it was difficult for me not to criticize hospitals for serving fast food to guests and patients. Then, I would remind myself that the dining services in a hospital are dependent on location and funding. If a hospital like UMMC has multiple fast food establishments, that does not mean the hospital cares any less for their patients. Stony Brook is fortunate to be able to provide organic produce straight from their rooftop farm to their patients, a luxury provided to them by the grant from the New York state Healthy Department. Neither hospital is doing nutrition "right" or doing nutrition "wrong", yet their philosophy on why and how they provide specific food to their patients differs. UMMC emphasizes the choice given to guests and patients. Through Morrison healthcare, they provide educational material and implemented practices to steer people into choosing the healthy options, yet the choice is in the hands of the patients and guests. Heavily processed snacks such as candy and chips must be displayed at least five feet away from the register and FIT meals are displayed on TVs right next to the food line. Such practices encourage healthy decisions but do not force them on people.
Stony Brook makes recognizes the importance of viewing food as medicine.
"In the face of ever-growing rates of diabetes (which affects more than 26 million Americans) and obesity (more than 68 percent of Americans are considered obese or overweight), it would make sense for hospitals to be sources of healthy food. But in many hospital cafeterias—and on the meal trays served to patients—there aren’t many healthy beverage and food options. Hospitals that recognize the undeniable link between nutrition and health are changing their ways." Taken from the website
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