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American Morning
Why Are So Many Hospitals Offering Fast Food Fare?
Aired July 19, 2002 - 08:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: We've all joked about how bad hospital food can taste, but you might not expect food served in the cafeterias there to be bad for you. So the question is, why are so many hospitals actually offering fast food fare?
Our medical correspondent Rea Blakey cuts through the fat in today's House Call.
Rea, first of all, I have to -- good morning, first of all.
REA BLAKEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
NEVILLE: How is it that hospital administrators and medical execs can justify having fast food chains in a hospital?
BLAKEY: Well, interesting, Arthel, there are no regulations that require a particular dietary standard in hospitals, and so it's really up to the hospital as to what they choose to serve. And quite frankly, it kind of boils down to money, as it usually does. We'll get right to the chase here. Most of us have seen the annual honor roll, listing America's top hospitals, the cream of the medical crop, demonstrating unusual excellence in a variety of medical specialties. Well, a recent survey concludes some of the nation's best hospitals are offering some questionable food choices.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REA BLAKEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You would expect to see healthy food choices in a hospital cafeteria. But increasingly, this is what hospital diners are finding -- fast food restaurants are popping up in hospital cafeterias across the nation. And this has some health professionals concerned.
A recent survey conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan found fast food in more than one-third of America's top 16 hospitals.
DR. PETER CRAM, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Fast food franchises in hospitals sends a mixed message to our patients and our employees. And if we are serious about leading the nation in health, we need to consider moving away from fast food in hospitals.
BLAKEY: But some disagree. And believe fast food does have a place in hospitals. Heather Duggan oversees food services as St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta.
HEATHER DUGGAN, ST. JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL: We have got situations here where family members are here for long periods of time, and sometimes they are looking for comfort food, and we have to provide a lot of choices and, one of those choices is fast food. And I think that's the reality of the society we live in.
BLAKEY: But another reality of our society is the ever-growing obesity epidemic. Six in 10 Americans are overweight. Fast food gets its share of the blame.
CHRIS ROSENBLOOM, AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOC.: There is a certain irony of going to visit a relative who has triple bypass surgery, and then as a visitor going to a cafeteria or fast food establishment.
BLAKEY: One compelling reason hospitals offer fast food? Money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our fast food sells very well. It does enhance the revenue that comes into the department, but by no means takes care the cost. The annual loss can be in the millions of dollars range.
BLAKEY: For now, it looks like fast food in many hospitals is here too stay. But the choice of whether to eat a fast food burger or something from the salad bar still belongs to the consumer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLAKEY: One in five Americans is obese. Another 36 percent of us are overweight. So before you start to ask for your next order of fat-laden, high sodium fast food, whether it's in a hospital cafeteria or not, remember this: RAND researchers recently compared the medical cost of obesity, smoking, heavy drinking and poverty, and guess which one is linked to the biggest increase in chronic medical care costs?
NEVILLE: Health conditions.
BLAKEY: Obesity.
NEVILLE: Obesity. Absolutely. You know, it's worst than smoking. I read that it's worse than smoking.
BLAKEY: Absolutely.
NEVILLE: Let me get to this breast cancer study here now. I understand that they are now saying, researchers are now saying breast-feeding is good for the baby, but now it could possibly, they are saying, decrease the chances of a woman getting breast cancer.
BLAKEY: That's absolutely right. For many years, we've known that child bearing decreases a woman's risk of breast cancer. Now there's a big international study, 47 studies from 30 countries that indicate that breast feeding for a prolonged period of time will also decrease cancer risks. To extrapolate all of it, for women in the U.S., bottom line is, if we can breast feed nine months instead of three months per child, eventually women in the Western countries would reduce the number of breast cancer cases by 25,000 every year.
NEVILLE: So nine months if you can...
BLAKEY: If you can make it that long.
NEVILLE: Exactly. Certainly not nine years.
BLAKEY: And the more children you have, the better as well.
NEVILLE: Well, that's good to reduce breast cancer.
BLAKEY: OK, Rea, thank you very much.
NEVILLE: Thank you.
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