Back in the heyday of fee-for-service, having fast-food outlets in a hospital food court may have made financial sense. But in this era of fee-for-value, population health and maintaining wellness, Cleveland Clinic has decided not to renew the long-term lease in its flagship hospital's food court with a McDonald's franchisee.
“As a part of Cleveland Clinic's commitment to health and wellness, we have made a number of changes across our health system over the past 10 years that promote healthy food choices, exercise, and a smoke-free environment," said a statement released by the hospital. "Our goal is to reduce the risk factors that contribute significantly to chronic diseases.”
The owner and operator of the McDonald's at Cleveland Clinic responded with his own statement.
“My family and employees have enjoyed serving the Cleveland Clinic community for the past 20 years. We invite families and residents in the hospital community to visit our other Cleveland-area restaurants for the variety of balanced choices of food and beverages that we're proud to serve,” Turan Strange said.
Heart surgeon and clinic CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove had been seeking the restaurant's removal for some time, but had been unable to break the lease.
Since 2012, a group known as Corporate Accountability International has been leading an effort to persuade hospitals to remove McDonald's and other fast food outlets from their premises. The group reported that Parkland Hospital, the Dallas safety-net institution, has been McDonald's-free since 2009.
The new Parkland Hospital opens this week and no fast-food vendors will be allowed under its roof.
Some complaints have arisen that the Cleveland Clinic food court was losing its most-affordable option. An argument could also be made that patients under extreme stress could be calmed with their favorite comfort food.
Though another argument could be made that patients' visitors have other things on their minds and they don't notice much about the food at all.
