Re-post from NPR

The McDonald’s at the Truman Medical Centers’ main campus in Kansas City, Mo., has closed, ending an epic, two-decade stint inside the hospital and making it the fifth health facility in the past few years to give the Big Mac the boot.

Earlier this year, hospital CEO John Bluford told The Salt that the presence of the McDonald’s — located just feet from a revamped cafeteria touting low-calorie-food options and reduced sodium, fat and sugar in its meals — was sending an “inconsistent message.”

The relationship between hospitals and fast-food chains is a complicated one. Decades ago, McDonald’s restaurants popped up in hospitals from New York to Iowa to California, with leases for as long as 30 years. Hospitals found the long-term agreements financially appetizing. And many patients, visitors and staff have appreciated the availability of an inexpensive, familiar shake or burger.

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A sign outside an entrance at the Truman Medical Centers’ main campus in Kansas City, Mo., announces the closure of the McDonald’s located on-site.

Elana Gordon

The leases, though, have made it difficult for places like the Cleveland Clinic, a national leader in wellness, to oust their McDonald’s.

Truman wouldn’t disclose details of its deal, but the McDonald’s lease ended early. “This was a mutually agreed upon decision between two businesses,” Bluford said in a statement to hospital staff at the end of October.

So are other hospitals losing their taste for McDonald’s, too?

Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (formerly Children’s Memorial Hospital) moved into a new facility this spring but didn’t take along the McDonald’s that was on its old campus for 15 years. Julie Pesch, a Lurie spokesperson, says the hospital just didn’t have enough space for the restaurant.

“We chose McDonald’s many years ago as a special treat for sick kids going through difficult treatments,” Pesch says. But, “everything needs to be in moderation. We were not trying to break our lease with the McDonald’s.”

Similarly, Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Ky., has no plans to keep its McDonald’s once the lease expires in four years. McDonald’s has been present since the hospital’s opening in 1986, but the facility would prefer to use the space to create its own cafeteria. It currently relies on one at a sister hospital across the street.

The Salt

Fast Food Chains In Cafeterias Put Hospitals In A Bind KCUR

Big Macs aren’t the only food item on their way out of these medical centers. Children’s Mercy Hospital, located just a few blocks from Truman in Kansas City, doesn’t have a McDonald’s, but it will soon be removing all regular soda and sugared beverages from its campuses. The move follows a slew of wellness efforts across the country, in part aimed at improving hospital food options.

“The obesity epidemic among children and adults is doing a lot of driving of the changes at hospitals,” says Persis Sosiak, director of public health and research at the Cleveland Clinic. “I think a lot of systems are starting to evaluate what they view as wellness.”

*Please excuse the advertisement at the beginning of the lecture

About the Talk

(source: FORA.tv)

Thomas R. Frieden, the commissioner of the New York City Dept. of Health discusses the structure of the U.S. Health Care System and interventions that can be taken to prevent important health issues like tobacco use and obesity.

About Dr. Thomas Frieden

Thomas R. Frieden – Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, has served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since January 2002. Dr. Frieden has worked as an epidemiologist, administrator, teacher, researcher, clinician, and community organizer. His top priorities are to strengthen systems to accurately monitor the health of New Yorkers and to use this information to work with communities to improve their health. A graduate of Oberlin College, Dr. Frieden received degrees in Medicine and Public Health from Columbia University. He completed specialty training in Internal Medicine at Columbia and subspecialty training in Infectious Diseases at Yale University.

Program Strategies: Webpage

(source: CDC)

The medical cost of obesity in the United States may be as high as $147 billion annually, based on a recent study from CDC and the Research Triangle Institute. The proportion of all annual medical costs that are due to obesity increased from 6.5 percent in 1998 to 9.1 percent in 2006. To address this problem of obesity, CDC has recommended 24 community policy and environmental strategies to prevent obesity.

This is the CDC’s first comprehensive set of recommended strategies and measures to help communities tackle the problem of obesity through environmental change and policies that promote healthy eating and physical activity.

Original World Health Organization Article

(source: WHO)

Global migration of people, whether voluntary or forced, means health-care professionals and staff need to communicate effectively as they care for progressively more diverse communities, often with specific needs, varied language abilities and literacy. Refugees and asylum seekers are forced migrants. They may have health needs related to their refugee status and may not have the language abilities or skills common among other types of migrants.

Local community initiatives are key to resolve some of our nations health disparities. The town of Somerville, Mass. has developed it’s own program to prevent obesity.

USA Today Original Article

City of Somerville

The Original Study from Tufts University

(source: City of Somerville)

Shape Up Somerville is a city wide campaign to increase daily physical activity and healthy eating through programming, physical infrastructure improvements, and policy work.  The campaign targets all segments of our community, including schools, city government, civic organizations, community groups, businesses, and other people who live, work, and play in Somerville.

This effort began as a community based research study at Tufts University targeting 1^st through 3^rd graders in the Somerville Public Schools.  Today there is Coordinator working on active and healthy living programs supported by the Health Department and a Taskforce that is a collaboration of over 11 initiatives and 25 stakeholders involved in working on various interventions across the city