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HEALTH & FITNESS

Riley Hospital getting rid of on-site McDonald's

By Shari Rudavsky
shari.rudavsky@indystar.com
The McDonald's at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health will close at the end of the month.

Patients at Riley Hospital at IU Health will no longer be able to enjoy fries after a procedure when the McDonald's restaurant in the hospital shuts its doors at the end of the month.

Over the years, many have commented on the incongruity of housing a fast-food joint inside a children's hospital. Others argued the restaurant provided treats for children and offered an inexpensive, familiar dining option for patients' families.

But in October 2012, Indiana University Health, Riley's parent, joined the Partnership for a Healthier America and started to re-examine its food offerings.

Sugary beverages were banned at hospital eateries in the spring, although McDonald's received a temporary exemption.

Deep fryers are also on the way out in accordance with the guidelines from the partnership, a non-profit, non-partisan entity that is working to decrease childhood obesity nationwide. The organization's guidelines extend only to the in-house food prepared by hospital facilities, not to tenants on hospital property, said Elly Spinweber, a partnership spokeswoman.

The IU Health leadership team decided to go one step farther. No longer does it make sense for Riley to provide a home to a restaurant that features Chicken McNuggets, sodas and high-salt foods, hospital officials said Tuesday.

"It's really just an evolution of our continued efforts to fully comply with the Partnership for Healthier America," said Russ Williams, Riley's chief operating officer.

In the past Riley has come under fire for allowing McDonald's to remain on its premises, a seeming contradiction for a children's hospital.

The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine, issued a report in January that named Riley one of the five worst children's hospitals for its food environment. At the time, 27 hospitals in the country hosted a McDonald's, many of them children's hospitals.

More and more, children's hospitals that once were home to McDonald's are opting to go Mickey D-free. The McDonald's at the children's Hospital of Philadelphia closed after 34 years and other hospitals are following suit, said Susan Levin, a dietitian with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which is planning to an issue an updated report in February.

"When we were releasing the last report, there were battles within the administrations of the hospital, people wanting to get rid of fast-food outlets, there was already talk and even some action happening," Levin said. "So I'm happy to hear that Riley has actually closed the door."

McDonald's did not respond. However, the executive director of the local Ronald McDonald House said losing the restaurant will not change the role the house, a facility for patients' families, plays in the hospital.

There's no relationship between where restaurants and Ronald McDonald Houses are located, said Beth Johnson, the executive director of the Indianapolis house.

Former Riley patients were not necessarily delighted by the decision to close the McDonald's.

Many commented on the Star's Facebook page that the restaurant's food often brightened the day for young patients facing grim procedures and prospects.

"When my son was young and having to go to Riley multiple times for physical therapy and surgery, going to McDonald's afterward was the bright spot in his day," wrote Maggie McNamee. "I know that McD's is in no way healthy, but once in a while is OK."

Other former Riley families noted that McDonald's was the only in-hospital option late-at-night and offered inexpensive food, a welcome option.

Visitors can still bring whatever food they like into the hospital, Williams said.

And, as of the first of the year, Riley will open a café in the lobby of the Simon Family Tower that will remain open 20 hours a day and offer many options, including those that appeal to children.

"We're not going to only serve broccoli and steamed brussel sprouts," Williams said. "There will still be things that are fun for kids."

The hospital is looking for a new tenant for the McDonald's space.

Offering healthy food options is critical for hospitals, who need to model healthy behaviors for the rest of us to follow, some say.

"Hospitals are often within their communities a center of health," Spinweber said. "It's important to make healthier choices more available for people and that's what the PHA is about, making healthier choices easier."

Offering unhealthy foods in hospitals is like installing cigarette vending machines in hospital lobbies, Levin said.

"Now that diet has surpassed smoking in terms of chronic illnesses, why would you have fast food outlets in hospitals?" she said.

Call Star reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Follow her on Twitter @srudavsky.