|
|
|
Freeman Health System recently received a $300,000 food grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health.
“This will allow us to provide healthier food by means of purchasing equipment, such as steamers, steam kettles, broilers, and salad bars for each of our campuses (Freeman East, West and Neosho),” said Heather Boline, nutrition project coordinator and a registered dietitian with Freeman Health System.
This was the first time the health system received this particular type of food grant.
“We are a healthcare system and we should be leading the example for health,” Boline said. “In the past, we have kind of gone away from proper portion sizes and we have been serving a little more fried and processed food items, and we are really trying to get back to healthy foods. Proper portion sizes, more lean meats, we are offering more fruits and vegetables and whole grains to our patients, employees, visitors and volunteers.”
They applied for the grant about eight months ago and they were awarded the grant and it actually went into effect Nov. 1, 2010. One of the first things the healthcare system did was sign the Healthy Food and Healthcare Pledge. They were the first hospital system in Missouri to do so.
“It really outlines our goal as a health system, which is increase the fruits and vegetables and healthier food,” Boline said. “We are working to eliminate trans fat from each campus and actually Neosho is going to be our first hospital that we publicized as trans fat-free out of our three campuses.”
Freeman Neosho Hospital will start that process this week. Boline stated with the Neosho campus being a little bit smaller, “it is easier to kind of get a grasp on everything.”
Freeman West is very close in the transition. Then Freeman East will follow.
“It just takes a little bit of time to change all of the recipes and ordering procedures,” she added.
Another aspect is the dairy products. Hiland Dairy is utilized in Neosho.
“We want to try to use dairy products that have no artificial growth hormone, RrBGH free (Bovine Growth Hormone),” Boline said. “And Hiland Dairy is Neosho’s provider and Prairie Farms provides dairy for Freeman East and West and they are all using cattle that are artificial growth hormone free and they are a local provider.”
The dairy products range from milk, cheese, cottage cheese, with the yogurt coming from Dannon.
Currently, Freeman Health System staff is on a hospital-wide meltdown program, an employee weight loss contest lasting from January to April.
“We have 76 teams of anywhere from five to eight employees who are all trying to lose weight through competition and this goes right along with our healthy food,” Boline said.
Freeman Health System recently received a $300,000 food grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health.
“This will allow us to provide healthier food by means of purchasing equipment, such as steamers, steam kettles, broilers, and salad bars for each of our campuses (Freeman East, West and Neosho),” said Heather Boline, nutrition project coordinator and a registered dietitian with Freeman Health System.
This was the first time the health system received this particular type of food grant.
“We are a healthcare system and we should be leading the example for health,” Boline said. “In the past, we have kind of gone away from proper portion sizes and we have been serving a little more fried and processed food items, and we are really trying to get back to healthy foods. Proper portion sizes, more lean meats, we are offering more fruits and vegetables and whole grains to our patients, employees, visitors and volunteers.”
They applied for the grant about eight months ago and they were awarded the grant and it actually went into effect Nov. 1, 2010. One of the first things the healthcare system did was sign the Healthy Food and Healthcare Pledge. They were the first hospital system in Missouri to do so.
“It really outlines our goal as a health system, which is increase the fruits and vegetables and healthier food,” Boline said. “We are working to eliminate trans fat from each campus and actually Neosho is going to be our first hospital that we publicized as trans fat-free out of our three campuses.”
Freeman Neosho Hospital will start that process this week. Boline stated with the Neosho campus being a little bit smaller, “it is easier to kind of get a grasp on everything.”
Freeman West is very close in the transition. Then Freeman East will follow.
“It just takes a little bit of time to change all of the recipes and ordering procedures,” she added.
Another aspect is the dairy products. Hiland Dairy is utilized in Neosho.
“We want to try to use dairy products that have no artificial growth hormone, RrBGH free (Bovine Growth Hormone),” Boline said. “And Hiland Dairy is Neosho’s provider and Prairie Farms provides dairy for Freeman East and West and they are all using cattle that are artificial growth hormone free and they are a local provider.”
The dairy products range from milk, cheese, cottage cheese, with the yogurt coming from Dannon.
Currently, Freeman Health System staff is on a hospital-wide meltdown program, an employee weight loss contest lasting from January to April.
“We have 76 teams of anywhere from five to eight employees who are all trying to lose weight through competition and this goes right along with our healthy food,” Boline said.
