For those of you who weren't horrified enough by the hospital nutritionists feeding my mom and the other 5th floor, post-surgery patients green Jell-O, I bring you
Texas Children's Hospital. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe it's common for hospitals to have fast food restaurants inside, but I've never seen it until now. The Texas Children's Hospital has a McDonald's on the first floor. Here is their list of food choices inside their hospital:
- Breakfast - 3rd floor, Clinical Care Center
- Cafeteria- Basement, Abercrombie Building
- ChickFilA - 3rd floor, Clinical Care Center
- McDonald's - 1st floor, Abercrombie Building
- Pizza - 3rd floor, Clinical Care Center
- Snack bar - 16th floor, West Tower
- Starbucks - 3rd floor, Clinical Care Center
- Subway - 3rd floor, Clinical Care Center"
They advertise this on their website and doctors are quite happy about having McDonald's in house. Some of the children who are dying of cancer will not eat anything, but when they are offered food from McDonald's, they eat it. I think this is a very unfair argument to justify fast food in a building of health and healing. I do think it's wonderful that children are eating something, even fast food, if they are dying. But why not bring in fast food from the outside and offer it to them? Why let a fast food chain set up shop in a hospital? Personally, if I had a child in this hospital and I set foot in the door for the first time and saw the Mickey D's on the main floor, I would not trust the doctors working there.
-http://www.texaschildrens.org/kids/default.aspx
9 comments:
This. Is. Horrifying.
And what does it say about children's nutrition at home when the only food they will not refuse is McD's? Eww.
Great story, so sad about this state of affairs. I am certain things will change even if it takes until another generation to do so. We are starting now so that our children will benefit! Here's one: I gave my children a choice of what to give up as a family for Lent, either HFCS or TV. They chose the HFCS. I don't think they really know all that it entails, but what a 40 days we are in for! HA! I will keep you updated and thx again for all your great work!
UGH! Depressing!
Thanks for the comments. Sorry to bring up something so horrifying, but knowledge is power, right?
This is amazing! I did a little research myself too...here are the nutritional web pages for the fast food chains. This is job security for a heart surgeon.
Chick-fil-a Nutritional Data
McDonald's Nutritional Data
Starbucks Nutritional Data
Subway Nutritional Data PDF
your blog is so interesting to read, its amazing! thanks for your wondeful posts.
hope to hear from you,
Monika ♥
scary.
As a visitor, yes, I would like options to eat (trust me, I've spent enough times in a hospital to know that good food is hard to come by, and sometimes leaving to get something isn't an option).
But then again, that ruins your whole shock article, when I mention that these places are more for visitors than patients, doesn't it?
bluelinegoddess--
First of all, I'm sorry that you have spent so much time in a hospital.
It's always good to hear an opposing viewpoint. However, you said, "I've spent enough times in a hospital to know that good food is hard to come by."
I wonder if you are implying taste by saying "good food," or quality of food. I have also spent a lot of time in hospitals, but have found either cafeteria food or the hospital's own cafe food to be just fine. Not that these foods are especially healthy, but I have found many hospital foods to be MUCH healthier than the options of a fast food restaurant.
The fact is that fast food is known to contribute to the rising obesity epidemic, and related to diabetes and heart disease. A hospital is a place we go to help us heal FROM these problems.
McDonald's does NOT offer anything better than hospital cafeteria food, as boring as that food becomes when you spend a lot of time in a hospital. I believe that hospitals need to step up and set the standard for healthy eating.
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