When Americans enter a hospital, they expect to receive care that helps them heal.They trust their doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to provide the best possible treatments and give them the greatest chance of recovery.Yet too often, the food our nation’s hospitals serve contradicts that mission.Patients recovering from surgery, living with chronic diseases, or managing serious medical conditions may be served meals in hospitals meals featuring highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and other ingredients that do little to support their recovery.RFK JR HAILS FIRST US HOSPITAL TO PROMISE HEALTHIER MEALS: 'WE HAVE A TEMPLATE'It’s a contradiction that should concern every American.
And it’s one we’re determined to change.Today, we announce that 250 hospitals across the United States have joined the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge, a nationwide initiative the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched to improve the nutritional quality of meals hospitals serve to patients and staff.AOC SAYS MAHA ADVOCATES' FIGHT 'ISN'T PARTISAN' AS SHE BLASTS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM FOR FUELING 'A TON OF ANXIETY'These commitments reflect a growing recognition among America’s healthcare leaders that food is an essential part of good medicine, and that hospitals should demonstrate that through the meals they serve.Under President Trump’s leadership, the Make America Healthy Again movement is fundamentally rethinking the role of nutrition in American healthcare.But transforming American healthcare requires more than changing federal policies; it requires changing the environments in which Americans receive care.Hospitals can help change those environments.They care for our most vulnerable citizens, educate millions of patients and families, and earn their communities’ trust.Nutrition is central to each of these responsibilities.For patients recovering from surgery, fi...