Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, FL, just became the first hospital in that state - and one of only a handful in the United States - to offer a 100 percent vegan meal option to patients.
Shockingly, most hospitals don't have a plant-based menu option. Wander into any American hospital at lunchtime, and you'll see an array of truly terrible choices. Patients are eating hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, macaroni and cheese, french fries, meat loaf, processed lunch meat, soda, sugary desserts and more.
Patients trying to recover from surgery or life-threatening illnesses deserve better. In June 2017, the American Medical Association's House of Delegates adopted a resolution calling on hospitals to provide plant-based meals to patients and staff. The resolution stated:
RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association hereby call on US hospitals to improve the health of patients, staff, and visitors by (1) providing a variety of healthful food, including plant-based meals and meals that are low in fat, sodium, and added sugars, (2) eliminating processed meats from menus, and (3) providing and promoting healthful beverages.
This is why we request that Grady Memorial Hospital offer a vegan menu to its patients and staff.
