By Healthcare Facilities Today

The Hospital Healthy Food Initiative, an ambitious national campaign was launched last fall by the Washington-based Partnership for a Healthier America. The organization, originally founded to fight childhood obesity, partnered with hospitals and their food providers to provide more healthy food options, according to an article posted on the Healthcare Global web site.

Current partners include Centura Health, Children's Hospital of Chicago, Henry Ford Health System, Kaiser Permanente, Maine Health, Morrison Healthcare Food Services, Oregon Health & Science University, University of Colorado Health, and University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics.

According to the article, hospitals were asked to: 

• Increase the amount and variety of fruit and vegetables on their patient menus and in their cafeterias;

• Replace all salty and sugary foods displayed near cafeteria cash registers with healthy food options;

• Remove all deep-fried foods from patient and cafeteria offerings;

• Offer healthier beverages, such as water, unflavored low-fat and fat-free milk, 100 percent natural fruit and vegetable juices, tea, and coffee;

• Add to patient menus and cafeteria offerings a low-calorie healthy meal and a healthy children's meal as regular daily selections — priced the same or less than comparable cafeteria selections.

Read the article.