| ***Note for broadcasters: VNR to include expert SOT and hospital / sugary
drink BROLL; available at www.iphimedia.org after 3:30 p.m. CDT.***
Chicago — Citing growing concern from doctors and public health officials, Vanguard Health Chicago (VHC) today announced they will begin eliminating all drinks sweetened with sugar in all of their Chicago-based hospitals, healthcare sites, and administrative offices.
Saying So Long to Soda:
Vanguard MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn is the first of four VHC hospitals to announce a ban on soda and other sugar-laden beverages.
Once the changes have been implemented across all its Chicago hospitals, the company says over 6,000 employees and tens of thousands of patients and visitors will substantively benefit from a healthier reduced sugar environment.
Creating Healthier Hospitals:
Pioneering the change was Vanguard MacNeal Hospital, which began changing dietary offerings nearly a year ago to better align with their mission to “help people achieve health for life.” The hospital began the initiative by offering a host of healthier reduced-fat and lower-calorie menu options.
Vanguard MacNeal Hospital also revamped their dining environments to increase casual dining traffic. Key health habit enhancements include:
- Swapping vending machine selections with healthier food and beverage choices
- Elimination of all fried food and trans fat
- Expanding salad bar offerings to focus on whole grains, fresh fruit and leafy green vegetables
- Pricing healthy choices at lower, more economical price-points
- Establishing signage and nutritional labeling to create awareness and enhance self advocacy.
MacNeal’s expansion of their sugar reduction efforts–to a now complete ban of sugar laden drinks–demonstrates an increased commitment to the health of both its patients and employees, noted the Illinois Public Health Institute.
The Institute opened Wednesday’s first-ever symposium of heath care professionals exploring the toxic effects of sugar, consumed through beverages, with the news of VHC’s policy shift.
The news was met with exuberance from attendees, and the Illinois Public Health Institute urged other hospitals to follow VHC’s example in banning harmful sugary sodas and sports drinks.
“Sodas, sports drinks, and other drinks that are artificially loaded with sugar are associated with a host of negative health effects and increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, dental problems, and even cancer,” said Vanguard Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anthony J. Tedeschi. ”The health care community has an obligation not only to treat, but to help prevent, these conditions, some of which are at epidemic levels.”
“Revamping our cafeteria has created a very positive response from members of the community who often come to MacNeal for lunch,” says Vanguard’s Senior Director for Support Services Theresa Rudnick. “People feel good about what they are eating and drinking. These changes have been good for our business, but more importantly good for the health of those we serve and employ. It’s a win-win. I think some people wonder why we didn’t do this sooner.”
The Health Effects of Sugar:
Evidence consistently points to sugar-laden beverages triggering increased obesity rates. One study found that sugary soft drinks can account for an estimated 20 to 40 percent of all weight gained by Americans between 1997 and 2007.1
Approximately 46 percent of the added sugar in our diets comes from soda, energy drinks, sports drinks and sugar-sweetened fruit drinks.2
Adults who drink just one sugar-loaded drink every day increase the likelihood that they will be overweight or obese by 27 percent.3 Even more vulnerable, studies suggest, are children who increase their risk of obesity by 60 percent with every additional soda consumed in a day.
“As leaders, we know this is a logical step in creating a better model for the delivery of health care and creating a healthier workplace, focused on promoting health and overall well-being,” said Vanguard MacNeal Hospital Chief Executive Officer Brian J. Lemon.
Dr. Stephen Archer, President of the American Heart Association Metro Chicago Board, concurred. “There is too much sugar consumed in the American diet, and sugar-sweetened beverages are the biggest sources of added sugar. Far too many people have no idea how much sugar they are drinking, nor do they know the negative impacts this is having on their bodies. They certainly are not likely to know that consumption of sugary drinks has been linked to diminished cardiovascular health. It is our responsibility to spread this message and promote meaningful policy, systems and environmental change that will support healthier lifestyle choices.”
According to the Illinois Public Health Institute, by changing its beverage environment to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, MacNeal Hospital has demonstrated vital leadership in primary prevention and clearly recognizes the important role of hospitals in creating health-promoting environments.
“We applaud MacNeal Hospital for leading the way,” said the Institute’s Chief Executive Officer Elissa Bassler. “Today the Illinois Public Health Institute is urging other hospitals to enact similar initiatives. Hospitals are filled with professionals who have taken an oath that they will ‘never do harm to anyone.’ Sodas and sports drinks are harmful. They do not belong in hospitals.”
“We have a paradox, where the sweetened-beverage industry, whose products are associated with a host of negative health effects, has effectively created an environment that is contrary to the goal of primary prevention,” noted Stacia Clinton of the Health Care Without Harm & Healthy Food Systems Initiative. The Illinois Public Health Institute and Health Care Without Harm have partnered with the American Heart Association to offer toolkits and technical assistance to organizations who are interested in creating healthier hospitals.
Marketers of sugar-loaded beverages actively seek relationships with health groups to improve their image and project the aura of healthiness. Many hospitals enter into exclusive agreements, or “pouring rights” contracts, with the sweetened beverage industry in return for direct payments or subsidies, which can make changing the beverage environment challenging.
Rethink Your Drink: the Impact of Sugar-Loaded Beverages on the Obesity Epidemic and Clinical and Environmental Strategies to Reduce Consumption
Today, Wednesday April 25, the Illinois Public Health Institute and the American Heart Association are hosting the Rethink Your Drink symposium, exploring clinical approaches to reducing sugar-loaded beverage consumption and complementary changes in policy, systems and environments. More information can be found at: www.iphionline.org.
About Vanguard Health Chicago
Vanguard Health Chicago is a growing multi-hospital system serving metropolitan Chicago. The hospitals include MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park and Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park. Vanguard Health Chicago is part of Vanguard Health Systems, which also owns and operates local health systems in Texas, Arizona, Michigan and Massachusetts. Vanguard embraces the principles of non-profit health care and aligns them with the business acumen of an investor owned organization to strengthen each hospital’s position, making them leaders in the delivery of health care for the communities they serve.
About the Illinois Public Health Institute
The Illinois Public Health Institute works through partnerships to promote prevention and improve public health systems that maximize the health and quality of life of the people of Illinois. IPHI conducts policy development and research, provides training and technical assistance to hospitals and communities, and works to engage stakeholders in improving public health systems and policies. Among a number of initiatives, IPHI has convened and leads the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity and is working to educate health professionals, community groups and the public on the negative health effects of sugar-loaded beverages.
Acknowledgement
IPHI’s Rethink Your Drink symposium and technical assistance to hospitals on changing beverage environments are made possible, in part, through Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CPPW is a partnership project between the Cook County Department of Public Health and the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago. |
