Traveling (Part 3 of 3): Hospitals

While in Baltimore, we visited Johns Hopkins University Hospital, an amazingly elaborate facility and world class institution. This is a place where research on all manners of health issues is conducted and people fly from all over the world to find answers to their health issues. So when we arrived at 7:30 am, I walked down to the cafeteria to get a coffee and was amazed by the food selection. Bacon, eggs, and cheese on a bagel, danishes, chips, sausage, and soda. Around the corner was a vending machine with all manner of chocolate, sugar, and soft drinks. Earlier in the year, at a local hospital, we encountered similar choices plus cheese steaks, burgers and french fries for lunch. I'm always amazed that institutions that claim to be promoting health and wellness have such limited nutritious foods. Are they just hoping for repeat business? (Have a couple burgers and we'll see you in our cardiac unit a few years from now!). Hospitals are businesses, after all. There are some healthy options in hospital cafeterias, but certainly not many. Am I the only person noticing the disconnect here?