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While Mom was there for 7 weeks, occassionally I asked why the patient food and also the cafeteria food was so bad. We live on an island with some of the best growing seasons in the world.
Seriously canned papayas? Just one of the items I thought was just wrong!
Talked to one of mom's nureses we got to know and she told me about the hospital she used to work at in San Diego that the cafeteria meals were so good that the general public came in on M/W/F for special senior citizens discount healthy meals. The patient meals were really good she said - little canned food at all - if any.
So the question - would it be possible for say UH's Culinary program to take it over and fix the wonderful local / slow food menu that they promote? I am sure their is some corporate profit reason but geez, you could die from eating that food. The one day I went down to have lunch there - not one salad, nothing that wasn't canned, fatty, or just gross. Mom's food I started buying from Island Naturals and bringing her salads and saltfree/low fat entrees from IN and she would eat a bit more than the crap HMC's food service brought as patient's meals.
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I know when my daughter was at Childrens hospital in Seattle for a week, we'd never eaten so good cafeteria style! They had fresh and vegetarian meals, amazing tasting food.
It's a real crime when hospital food is unhealthy.
Dayna
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The only patient meal I got at HMC was a salad with chicken on it. Pretty healthy.
Most hospitals (I've spent time in 5, including HMC and Kaiser on Oahu) allow patients to choose what to eat. The "default" meals tend to be less healthy--I was once served chicken with white rice, a big white flour bun, and corn--three starches, no veggies! I think a lot of patients won't eat healthy meals, they want the white food they eat at home. And if the patient won't eat, they don't get better.
That said, canned papaya is unforgivable! It's kind of like hiring travelling nurses from the mainland instead of equally qualified local nurses who need work, which HMC is also doing.
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Ya know that reminds me of going to the hawaiian culture center on Oahu and they served a yummy canned peaches and canned pineapple for the main attraction...
But canned Papaya? Where you can still get 6-7 fresh ones for a buck at the farmers market doesn't seem right. Maybe they don't want anyone getting sick from ratlung? 
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I like Kapohocat's idea of the HCC culinary arts program partnering with HMC to provide interesting, tasty and healthy meals from locally available sources. The HCC program already serves meals to the public on campus. The meals are often themed according to different ethnic cuisines. Why don't you start the ball rolling and suggest this to both the HCC program and HMC? Couldn't hurt... Could be, they never even thought of it and your idea might be favorably received. Worth a try.
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My husband has a lot of serious food allergies and on both his visits to HMC they were completely unable to accommodate him. One day the only protein he got was a tiny cup of peanut butter because "We are all out of anything else you can eat. What do you expect on the weekend?" They also made inedible miso soup, which really takes some doing, especially in a town with so many Japanese Americans.
I ended up bringing in all his meals for 2 weeks one time and 10 days the other, which meant going in before my classes started at 7:30 and then back again after school, in between he had to go hungry. He was billed for special dietary accommodations though. HMC also refused to give him pillows to prop up a badly swollen leg to help reduce swelling because: "every patient is only allowed one pillow by housekeeping."
They need a real shakeup from top to bottom, because top management clearly doesn't know or care about what happens on the floor. The nurses and aides work really hard but are hemmed in by management directives.
Carol
Carol
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quote:
Originally posted by Lee M-S
The only patient meal I got at HMC was a salad with chicken on it. Pretty healthy.
Most hospitals (I've spent time in 5, including HMC and Kaiser on Oahu) allow patients to choose what to eat. The "default" meals tend to be less healthy--I was once served chicken with white rice, a big white flour bun, and corn--three starches, no veggies! I think a lot of patients won't eat healthy meals, they want the white food they eat at home. And if the patient won't eat, they don't get better.
That said, canned papaya is unforgivable! It's kind of like hiring travelling nurses from the mainland instead of equally qualified local nurses who need work, which HMC is also doing.
The was probably the only edible item on the menu. I did take Mom's menus and completely adjusted them. Still pretty crappy. One day she got salmon and rice and the salmon literally smelled and looked worse than my cat's canned food. I called dietary and handed it to them and said and I quote "seriously?".
Her bill from HMC is still coming and I swear if they try to bill much for that mess, I will be in the accounting office going over every penny for meals.
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Bills for overnight stays at HMC are pricey. You'd think for the price you'd get good meals. Not so. My operation and recovery time required me to stay there for 5 days. The operation cost $10,000 and took 3 hours....the room for 5 days cost $25,000 or approximately $5,000 a day. Meals were approximately $100.00+ each (and that was just for juice,vanilla pudding, chicken broth and tea).
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Here in Alaska our hospital has the best and freshest food you can get a burger
with fries for $6 with a build your own burger bar.
They have specials, taco salad day, BBQ rib day, and prime rib specials
The best part is the place is super spotless and you don't need tip!
Oh and the coffee is always hot and free.
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Is the HMC food service contracted out or internal?
I agree with Rene, let the UHH culinary students do it.
If there are objections to that, then the situation needs to be investigated.
Health care in this country is built on a bad model, too expensive,
complicated, and not even available to many people.
This kind of thing (HMC meals) is insult added to injury.
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