American Nurses Foundation Partners with Compass One Healthcare to Help Improve Nurses’ Health and Well-Being
CONTACTS:
Shannon McClendon, 301-628-5391
shannon.mcclendon@ana.org
Rebecca Monroe, 610-576-5174
rebecca.monroe@compass-usa.com
SILVER SPRING, MD – Today the American Nurses Foundation announced that leading health care support service company Compass One Healthcare has joined the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ (HNHN) Grand Challenge as a partner to improve the nutritional habits of America’s four million nurses.
HNHN is a social movement that engages more than 500 partner organizations and over 130,000 participants to act in five key domains - physical activity, rest, nutrition, quality of life, and safety - to transform the health of the nation by improving the health of nurses. Compass One Healthcare will help expand the nutritional focus with new content and challenges to engage more nurses in HNHN.
“As the largest and most trusted group of health care professionals, nurses’ health and well-being is vital to the health of our nation,” said the Executive Director of the American Nurses Foundation, Kate Judge. “The research shows that when clinicians are healthy, they provide better counsel to patients about healthy behaviors and can help create healthier communities. We believe our efforts with and through Compass One Healthcare can make a significant difference in the health of our nurses. We are grateful for their commitment to the nursing profession.”
Despite vast knowledge about health and wellness, the health of the average nurse is worse than that of the average American. Nurses everywhere tend to have a less nutritious diet. In a 2019 HNHN survey, 72% of nurses who responded said they have three or less servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Only 13% said they eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that all individuals eat between three-to-five servings of whole grains and five-to-nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. In the same survey, 30% of nurses said they don’t feel they have access to healthy food choices at work.
“This partnership elevates Compass One Healthcare’s commitment to support all of the nurses we serve alongside, freeing them up to do what they do best: take care of their patients,” said Compass One Healthcare CEO Bobby Kutteh. “Our expertise in food and nutrition, environmental, patient transport, and other support services provides a unique opportunity to support the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation Grand Challenge. In particular, we are looking to leverage our Power of Food and Welcome Experience platforms to bolster the health of our nurse partners.”
“In our health care space, nursing is the cornerstone,” said SVP Strategic Partnerships Bart Kaericher. “That’s why this partnership with the ANA’s Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation is so exciting for us. We can make a huge difference for our nurse partners by offering them healthy and delicious meals and by taking some of the stress off them by providing a safe environment of care.”
Both individuals and organizational partners can learn about the HNHN by visiting hnhn.org.
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About the American Nurses Foundation
The American Nurses Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of the American Nurses Association, with the mission to lead the profession to shape the future of nursing and health care. The Foundation supports research, education, and scholarships, which improve health, wellness, and patient care.
About Compass One Healthcare
Compass One Healthcare is a premier food and support services company with more than 47,000 engaged team members who are focused on delivering quality, value, and exceptional patient experience through specialized services and protocols in more than 2700 hospital and health system locations in 46 states. Our branded sectors, Morrison Healthcare (food and nutrition services) and Crothall Healthcare (support services) are nationally recognized for employee engagement and training programs. We recognize that our people are our greatest asset and that our success is contingent upon the alignment of our people strategy and our business strategy.