Health and Fitness

September 21, 2007

Kaiser Permanente Nutrition Services Highlighted in The Wall Street Journal

Hospital food is evolving into hospital cuisine, and Kaiser Permanente is playing a prominent role in that evolution, according to a columnist in The Wall Street Journal who wrote about the topic Wednesday, Sept. 18.

Columnist Laura Landro interviewed a patient at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center who was "stunned" to find among his menu choices "ancho-citrus marinated loin of pork" and other tasty and healthy choices.

"In part," the story states, "the changes are driven by new emphasis on boosting customer satisfaction with food service, which often gets the worst scores in hospital surveys. But with the growing obesity epidemic and rising rates of diabetes and heart disease, the more ambitious goal is to improve health outcomes beyond the hospital."

Landro also quoted at length Preston Maring, MD, associate physician in chief at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center and founder of the organization's farmers' market movement. Fresh produce, grown by family farmers, is featured in 6,000 hospital meals served each day in Kaiser Permanente's 19 Northern California medical centers. Further, the single farmer's market Dr. Maring founded in 2003 has grown into a network of 38 organic farmers' markets throughout Kaiser Permanente.

"In some hospitals," the story states, "Kaiser currently offers restaurant-style menus to patients whose orders are taken by a staffer with a Palm Pilot. It also is testing hotel-style room service, whole-grain pancakes and breads, and entrees that are steamed, grilled or roasted instead of fried."
The column also notes that Dr. Maring now has a website for disseminating healthy food news and recipes using farmers' market produce. Previously, Dr. Maring shared recipes via email through a voluntary subscription list.

For more, read Laura Landro's "Informed Patient" column in The Wall Street Journal.