Maria Parham Achieves Significant Distinction in Food and Nutrition Services

Maria Parham Achieves Significant Distinction in Food and Nutrition Services

 

Maria Parham Medical Center is taking important steps to offer healthier foods to employees and visitors including portion guidelines, healthy lifestyle education and employee incentives as part of NC Prevention Partners’ (NCPP) statewide Healthy Food in Hospitals initiative. The project is outlined by 5 core Guidelines: Access, Pricing, Marketing, Employee Benefits and Education. These are aimed at making it easier for hospital employees and visitors to eat healthy.  

 

Recently hospital administration was notified that Maria Parham had achieved “Red Apple” status through this initiative. Currently the three levels are “Green Apple”, “Yellow Apple” and “Red Apple”, with “Red Apple” denoting the highest level of achievement. Of this distinction, Anne Thornhill, MPH, Senior Health Promotions Manager for NCPP and the program lead for this project says, “This means you have made a strong commitment to develop, promote and sustain a healthy food environment in your hospital. More specifically, you actively improve access to healthy foods, use pricing to promote healthy foods, market healthy food with icons, offer strategically placed nutrition labels, and educate staff and visitors about nutrition.” She continues, “Additionally, you use employee benefits and incentives to promote healthy behaviors among your employees.” 

 

Pat Baldauf, Director of the Food and Nutrition Services Department at Maria Parham, is proud of the distinction that the hospital has achieved. “Our staff members have worked hard over the last six months in helping us earn this status. Many, many criteria were set forth by the NCPP, and the process to achieve “Red Apple” was not an easy one. We plan to continue working towards earning additional distinctions through NC Prevention Partners.” 

 

Jay Kennedy, Vice President of Operations for Maria Parham, agrees with Baldauf and remarks, “We are extremely pleased with the hospital’s accomplishment. Currently, we are the only hospital in the four county area to have earned “Red Apple” status and only one of 65 in North Carolina. This just underscores Maria Parham’s leadership and commitment to the health of our employees and our community.”

 

NC Prevention Partners (NCPP), a statewide leader in reducing preventable illness and early death, works with hospitals across the state to provide healthy, affordable food options in the cafeteria, vending machines and wherever food is sold or provided on campus. This project is funded by a grant from The Duke Endowment in a partnership with the NC Hospital Association.

 

Maria Parham Medical Center is a private, non-profit, full-service regional hospital serving the people of north central North Carolina and Southside Virginia. With a team of more than 150 physicians and 700 clinical and support staff, Maria Parham offers a wide range of services and the latest technology to meet the healthcare needs of the community. Maria Parham, located in Henderson, NC, is fully accredited by both The Joint Commission and CMS. For more information about Maria Parham Medical Center, please call (252) 436-1800 or visit www.mariaparham.com.