Monday, December 05, 2011

Children's hospital food is good


There is a lot of attention to the food in the hospital of children's hospitals. The complaints are, in summary, no real healthy entrees. Since I have worked in many hospitals, I can attest that all of the hospitals I worked in had a wide selection of healthy and less-healthy foods In the public cafeteria you will find salads, fruit, soups, vegetables, juices, milks, etc. In addition, you will almost always find fried chicken, pastas, pizza, hot dogs, rice, ice cream, sodas, etc. Some also have grills for burgers, much like a university cafeteria.
A hospital, like a university, is a world of its own. Some employees work double shifts or overnights and might need a "special snack" to keep the energy up in the wee hours. Students can relate to that. Many employees bring their own food and only come to the cafeteria for certain items. There were periods when I regularly worked 36 hour shifts without ever seeing the light of day - my meals varied with my stress.
Visitors come to hospitals for a brief visit or may find they "live" in the hospital, next to a patient for months. Many of the people who visit the public cafeteria do not want "healthy " food. Many have eaten elsewhere and just visit the cafeteria for a snack. They want sweets and sodas. Many use the cafeteria for meetings. Many people in hospitals are dying and really have no interest in spending their last days counting calories and avoiding yummy favorite foods.
The world of the hospital and the hospital cafeteria is very complex. In universities and hospitals, the cafeteria just wants to meet everybody's wants. Workers, and most patients, don't want limited menus because they can't order out.
Hospitals have improved greatly over the years. The quality of hospital cafeteria food is much better because a lot of people did complain or avoid the cafeteria. Today, most cafeterias are cheery, bright, well-decorated, clean with varied layouts and a wide food selection. If employees are unhappy, most cafeteria services will adapt. Just as universities can't run on salads, yogurt and water, hospitals can't either.
If you want to better understand the complexity of a children's hospital, volunteer to read to the kids or deliver presents to the children and listen to their stories. These are not ordinary kids.

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