FORT WORTH -- A group of doctors want the McDonald’s inside John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth to go.
To help gain support for their movement, commuters now have some new ads to look at on their way around town. An ad rolling around inside the city’s entire fleet of 134 buses is urging the hospital to go fast food free.
The Physicians Committee, a Washington D.C. based non-profit made up of 12,000 doctors, is behind the campaign.
“You wouldn’t expect your dentist to sell candy bars,” said Lee Crosby, a dietician for the group. “So, it’s pretty much equally surprising that McDonald’s is selling artery-clogging fast food in a hospital, which is the very place you go to try and recover from things like heart disease.”
According to the Physicians Committee, the hospital’s contract with McDonald’s expires in 2019. JPS upgraded its kitchen facilities last fall, and is now offering more healthy options in its cafeteria.
“I know they’ve actually taken steps at JPS Hospital to get their own cafeteria healthier,” said Crosby, who is testifying this week at the hospital’s board meeting. “A great option would actually be an expansion or a satellite of their existing cafeteria.”
When it comes to eating fast food, the American Heart Association says a diet high in saturated and trans fats may contribute to heart disease.
There’s only a handful of McDonald’s left inside hospitals across the country, Crosby said.
“I’d love to see that be one hospital less,” she said.