Case Studies

As of January 2009, for more than 160 hospitals across the United States, the concepts of "hospital food" and "healthy communities, healthy environment" are one and the same. The "Healthy Food in Health Care" report, compiled by Health Care Without Harm, outlines concrete steps being taken by hospitals nationwide to change their food buying practices towards more sustainably produced, healthier choices for patients, staff and visitors.

Survey of Pledge-Signing Hospitals

The Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge outlines the steps to be taken by the health care sector to improve the health of their patients, local communities and the environment.

The 2008 Pledge Report Menu of Change, Healthy Food in Health Care: A 2008 Survey of Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge Hospitals (pdf) details the concrete food purchasing steps these facilities are making.

For example:

• 80 facilities (70%) are purchasing
  up to 40% of their produce locally
• More than 90 facilities (80%) are purchasing rBGH-free milk
• 100% have increased fresh fruit and vegetable offerings
• 50 facilities (44%) are purchasing meat produced without the use of hormones or antibiotics

Case Studies

Health care institutions are finding creative solutions to the challenges of providing nutritional food to patients, visitors, and staff in a way that promotes food systems which are ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible. Below are case studies that showcase current successful programs.

• Healthy Food, Healthy Hospitals, Healthy Communities, a May 2005 report by Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Food and Health Program documenting stories of health care leaders bringing fresher, healthier food choices to their patients, staff, and communities. (pdf)
• On-site Farmers' Markets found at Kaiser Permanente Medical Facilities (pdf)
• Produce to the People, a case study of the first-ever farmer's market linked to a hospital. Dr. Preston Maring tells how and why local producers are partnering with the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, CA. (pdf)
• Purchase of Local and/or Organic Foods for Patients and Cafeterias, a Hospital Food Project of the National Health Service (NHS) in London, England (pdf)
• On-site Farmers' Market found at the Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo, Iowa (pdf)
• On-site Farmers' Market found at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. (pdf)
• On-site Farmers' Market found at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland (pdf)
• Good Shepherd Hospital: Incorporating Locally and Sustainably Produced Foods into Food Services (pdf)
• Iowa Hospitals: Purchasing Directly from a Community Farming Cooperative (pdf)

Please let us know about other case studies!