Upstairs at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, health experts bemoan the rising rates of obesity and diabetes among children.

        Downstairs, parents can treat their kids to high-calorie slices of LaRosa's pizza and Gold Star Chili cheese coneys.

Emily Palmer, 10, and her grandmother Mary Jo McCall enjoy Gold Star at Children's Hospital. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        A few miles away, Christ Hospital is pumping $77 million into a new cardiac care wing. But just off the main hospital lobby, a Wendy's franchise offers Great Biggie fries and Frosties.

        Meanwhile, visitors to the VA Medical Center can buy a Whopper at the canteen Burger King.

        Last week, a study from the University of Michigan revealed that a third of the nation's top 16 hospitals have at least one fast-food franchise. Among them:

        • Cleveland Clinic.

        • Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

        • Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

        • UCLA Medical Center.

        “On one hand, we say obesity is linked to fast food and at the same time we make it easy to get in health institutions,” said Michigan Health System research fellow Peter Cram.

        Greater Cincinnati proves to be no exception to the franchise food trend.

HOSPITAL FRANCHISES

Of 29 acute-care hospitals in Greater Cincinnati, five have franchise food outlets serving visiting families, staff and outpatients.    • Children's Hospital Medical Center, Corryville: Gold Star Chili and LaRosa's Express.    • Christ Hospital, Mount Auburn: Wendy's.    • VA Medical Center, Corryville: Burger King.    • University Hospital, Corryville: Wall Street Deli.    • Good Samaritan Hospital, University Heights: Kobricks coffee stand.

        Hospitals say they have long struggled to balance promoting healthy behavior and providing convenience and comfort to patients, visitors and staff.

        Until recent years, fear of upsetting patients made many hospitals reluctant to adopt no-smoking policies despite seeing far more than the general public about what happens to patients with lung cancer and emphysema.

        Now, on the nutrition front, some hospital managers say they don't want to lecture people about food as patients and families face serious illness or injury.

        “Childhood obesity is a problem and we do a lot of education about that. But when somebody is under the tremendous amount of stress of having a child in the hospital, that is not the time to limit what their choices are going to be,” said Letitia Hess, clinical director of nutrition therapy at Children's Hospital.

        Even though people can load up on pizza, the Children's Hospital food court also features a large salad bar and mounds of fresh fruit, she said.

        “The message has to be, no matter where you are, it's a matter of choices,” Ms. Hess said.

        Choices at University Hospital include a Wall Street Deli and a Kobricks coffee stand at Good Samaritan Hospital.

        At Christ Hospital, the Wendy's opened about two years ago. It is open for breakfast and on weekends and holidays, when the hospital cafeteria usually is not.

        “We interviewed many different food vendors, including vendors some would deem "healthy' to open in the hospital,” said spokeswoman Pat Samson.

        “As part of the evaluation, vendors required making a certain amount of profit from the hospital-based store, and if they felt they couldn't make the profit they wanted, they pulled out. That eliminated a few options.”

        The hospital did like that Wendy's offers salads, grilled chicken and baked potatoes, Ms. Samson said.

        Do families really need fast food to cope? Not really, says Lauren Niemes, executive director of the Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati.

        “For an institution involved in health care to be selling fast food certainly sends the wrong message,” Ms. Niemes said. “It reinforces a bad habit. Our whole society has taken a fast-food approach to nourishing our bodies. People need to get back in touch with wholesome food.”

        So should hospitals evict fast-food franchises?

        “I don't know,” said Suzanne Tate, spokeswoman for the VA Medical Center. “I've been to some hospitals where the cafeteria food has been inedible and I would have killed for some fast food.”

        The Associated Press contributed to this report.
       

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