MUSC Health triples nurses’ daily fruit, veggie consumption in 60-day pilot
CONTACT:
Shannon McClendon, 301-628-5391
shannon.mcclendon@ana.org
Heather Woolwine, 843-792-7669
woolwinh@musc.edu
Enrico Dinges, 301-987-4393
enrico.dingesg@sodexo.com
CHARLESTON, SC (October 9, 2018) – MUSC Health nurses have improved their nutritional health by tripling their daily consumption of fruits and vegetables as part of a 60-day nutritional pilot that began in June and concluded at the end of August. The post-pilot findings reveal that 17 percent of MUSC Health nurses now consume the five daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, and 72 percent now consume three or more servings. MUSC Health nurses and staff celebrated the conclusion of the successful nutrition pilot at a special event and tasting Oct. 9 at MUSC.
The pilot was supported by Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to improving quality of life and a major partner in the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ Grand Challenge (HNHN), an initiative of the ANA Enterprise. MUSC is an HNHN partner and the first organization selected to participate in an HNHN quality of life program in the U.S. It is the only participant site in South Carolina.
As part of the nutrition pilot, MUSC Health nurses and staff were offered fresh, seasonal and locally sourced Sodexo Simply-to-Go food items available for quick pick up at three MUSC campus locations. Each food item was specially labeled to indicate how many servings of fruits or vegetables it contained. Prior to the pilot, the majority of MUSC nurses said they consumed two to three servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
“We are very proud of our nurses and staff who made the nutrition pilot a success,” said Andrea Coyle, MHA, MSN, RN, NE-BC, MUSC Health Professional Excellence and Magnet® Program director. “It’s been a pleasure working with ANA and Sodexo, both of which share our commitment in creating a healthy environment and offering our nurses and staff solutions they enjoy and will continue using long-term.”
MUSC Health is one of five health systems in the state of South Carolina that have achieved the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® designation, which is the most prestigious distinction a health care organization can receive for nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes.
More than 2,700 nurses make up MUSC’s workforce and in a pre-pilot survey conducted by ANA, 75 percent said they put the health, safety and wellness of patients before their own. Pre-pilot surveys also uncovered that nearly half of MUSC Health nurses visit fast food establishments or similar restaurants one to two times a week, and 31 percent do so three to four times a week. In addition to surveys and with a deep understanding of the nursing profession, ANA spent time with MUSC Health nurses to further understand their nutritional habits.
“MUSC Health nurses’ willingness to participate in the pilot and also engage in the planning phase by sharing details about their nutritional habits is the sole reason it was a success,” said Bonnie Clipper, DNP, RN, MA, MBA, CENP, FACHE, vice president of Innovation at ANA. “Pilots like this one and other innovative programs that target the nursing workforce are necessary to help create healthy nurses and – ultimately – a healthy nation.”
Sodexo’s team of expert dietitians and chefs combined information gleaned from MUSC Health nurses and a vast knowledge of quality of life drivers to customize the Simply-to-Go menu. The team carefully curated new food options that include wraps and salads along with smaller snack items like fruit cups and vegetable packs.
“Our partnership with ANA on the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ Grand Challenge is a natural fit,” said Julie Branham, Sodexo North America vice president of Clinical Nutrition. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with nurses every day, supporting each other in helping patients have the best possible experience in hospitals. For this pilot, we were able to tailor our dining and wellbeing programs to meet MUSC Health nurses’ specific challenges, improving their health, wellness and overall quality of life.”
The next HNHN quality of life program that ANA and Sodexo are planning will take place at CarolinaEast Health System in New Bern, N.C. later this year.
HNHN, made possible through Sodexo’s multi-million dollar contribution to the American Nurses Foundation, engages 350 partner organizations and over 23,000 participants to take action to improve nurses' health. HNHN was named a 2018 Power of A Silver Award winner for enriching lives and positively impacting America through broad-reaching programs and activities. Both individuals and organizational partners can learn about the HNHN by visiting hnhn.org.
###
About MUSC Health
MUSC Health is the clinical enterprise of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and is comprised of a 700-bed medical center, the MUSC College of Medicine and the physician’s practice plan. It serves patients across South Carolina and beyond through four hospital facilities in Charleston and more than 100 outreach sites. Among these are the Hollings Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in the state, and a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital. The Medical University was founded in 1824 and has become a premier academic health sciences center at the forefront of the latest advances in medicine with world-class physicians, scientists and groundbreaking research and technology that is often the first of its kind in the world. Visit http://muschealth.org for more information.
About Sodexo North America
Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 72 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 150,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $32 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit SodexoUSA.com, SodexoInsights.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
About the ANA Enterprise
The ANA Enterprise is the organizing platform of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and the American Nurses Foundation. The ANA Enterprise leverages the combined strength of each to drive excellence in practice and ensure nurses’ voice and vision are recognized by policy leaders, industry influencers and employers. From professional development and advocacy, credentialing and grants, and products and services, the ANA Enterprise is the leading resource for nurses to arm themselves with the tools, information, and network they need to excel in their individual practices. In helping individual nurses succeed—across all practices and specialties, and at each stage of their careers—the ANA Enterprise is lighting the way for the entire profession to succeed. For high resolution images of the ANA Enterprise logo please click here.