PEMBROKE — The Pembroke Regional Hospital has worked hard to improve the offerings in its retail food environment and the hard work has paid off. Well ahead of a December target date, PRH has completed the first level of requirements in the Healthy Foods in Champlain Hospitals program and achieved the Bronze level designation.
“As a healthcare facility it’s important that we lead the way in providing healthy nutrition options where food is sold as well as the information required for people to be able to make informed decisions when it comes to the food that they are eating,” said Sabine Mersmann, Vice-President of Patient Services – Seniors and Community Care at PRH.
Key changes required to meet the Bronze designation included increasing the availability of vegetables, fruits and whole grain bread products; providing calorie and sodium information for soups and entrees; removing deep fryers/deep fried foods; reducing the variety of chocolate, chips, coated granola bars, candy, pretzels, danishes, croissants, pies, cinnamon buns and donuts; lowering the level of sodium in soups; and decreasing portion sizes of high-calorie beverages.
Ms. Mersmann who is also a member of the Healthy Foods Leadership Task Force which is providing oversight for the program in the Champlain Region, noted that the initiative was coordinated at PRH by Nutrition Manager Marilyn Watson and Nutrition student Katherine Belisle who worked closely with Regional Dietitian Andra Taylor from the Healthy Foods program and the PRH Auxiliary which operates the Sunshine Gift Shop and the Mural Café in order to meet the requirements. Our hospital and others are also working with food vendors and suppliers in order to find healthier options in terms of soups, entrees and snacks.
The Healthy Foods initiative was developed to create a supportive, healthy food environment for patients, visitors, staff, physicians and volunteers by providing better food options in hospital retail settings. At PRH, this includes the cafeteria, vending machines, the Sunshine Gift Shop and the Mural Café.
In the Champlain LHIN, all 20 hospitals have now voluntarily signed on to the region-wide program and Pembroke Regional Hospital is one of eight which have achieved the Bronze designation.
Environment Services Manager Marilyn Watson said that while the deep fryer was removed from the hospital’s kitchen three years ago, some of the more recent changes that have been made in order to meet the Bronze level standards have included a reduction in high-calorie drink sizes like chocolate milk and pop, shifting to whole wheat bread products and ensuring everything is either baked or steamed.
Staff have also developed an ingredient list binder for all items which is available at the point of sale, and a digital screen now provides all menu details including calorie and sodium information.
In a letter congratulating Pembroke Regional Hospital for achieving the Bronze status, Dr. Andrew Pipe, Chair of the Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network said, “The changes made within your institutional retail food settings are a clear reflection of PRH’s commitment to a healthy work environment and fostering health promoting principles among staff, visitors, and patients alike.”
Chef Jonathan Thomas also expressed his pride in the work to reach this milestone. “We are embracing change and we are driving change at the same time – change to see healthier people, a healthier community and a healthier workplace,” he said, adding that he and his co-workers spent significant time researching healthier ingredients and figuring out how best to prepare new items.
With Bronze level achieved, Ms. Mersmann said efforts will now shift to working towards the Silver and Gold benchmarks.
The criteria for achieving silver include:
– Expanding provision of calorie and sodium information at point-of-purchase.
– Reducing sodium in soups and entrees.
– Reducing processed meats and high-fat cheeses.
– Introducing calorie, fat, sodium and sugar targets for snacks, baked goods and desserts.
“The Pembroke Regional Hospital may only be at the beginning of its journey to healthier food choices, but the steps that have been taken so far are certainly steps in the right direction,” Ms. Mersmann said.
