Posted Sept 8, 2010
The old saying about hospital food making you sick was no laughing matter for people with celiac disease.
That’s the disease in which people’s intolerance to gluten — a protein in wheat, rye and barley — damages their small intestines and leads to a host of problems, including diarrhea, swelling, constipation, seizures and bone pain.
Imagine patients who have a knee replaced, then eat a prepackaged hospital meal with gluten in it.
“All of a sudden they start having a joint-pain response to that contamination,” said Kelle Rankin-Sunter, a board member of Bellingham Gluten Intolerance Group. “Those items are in most prepared foods, in one way or another.”
Rankin-Sunter and other members of the group decided it was time for change, and contacted officials at St. Joseph hospital. The result, after months of meetings, is a new routine that provides more gluten-free options for hungry patients.
“There are many older folks in that group who felt afraid to add insult to injury by eating the food,” said Rachel Akins, a clinical dietician at the hospital who worked with the group. “They empowered us, and gave us support to go to food services and say, ‘This needs to be fixed.'”
St. Joseph had already offered meals tweaked for patients’ sensitivities, including people on low-salt or heart-healthy diets, or who have diabetes, kidney problems or difficulty swallowing.
But expanding the range of gluten-free foods posed the special challenge of preparing meals in a way that avoids gluten-contaminated surfaces and utensils, all in a kitchen space that hasn’t kept pace with the hospital’s growth, Akins said.
It also meant finding new sources of food.
“We had to find a vendor to purchase gluten-free English muffins, hamburger buns, bread,” Akins said.
Before the change kicked in more than a year ago, patients with celiac disease could get a safe meal at St. Joseph, but pickings were slim and often slapdash.
“Jell-O might have been a good choice,” Rankin-Sunter said.
Family members sometimes brought gluten-free meals from home, but that wasn’t always possible, and it placed an extra burden on the family, she said.
Now, patients have ready access to a three-day menu of gluten-free meals.
“We’ve been thrilled to death,” Rankin-Sunter said. “They’ve done a great job.”
The shift to gluten-free includes a greater emphasis on fresh foods, which fits a new direction in general for meals at St. Joseph.
The hospital recently hired a new company to oversee its food operations, Thomas Cuisine Management, an Idaho firm that emphasizes meals made from scratch. Company clients include Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, Enumclaw Regional Hospital, and St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor.
The shift from processed meals to fresh, whole food is already under way, Akins said, with homemade soups and real mashed potatoes early new additions to the cafeteria menu.
In time, the hospital hopes to offer a large menu from which patients can pick-and-choose what they want, akin to ordering room service in a hotel.
That should make people feel better.
GLUTEN-FREE EVENT
What: Community awareness event hosted by Bellingham Gluten Intolerance Group.
When: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2.
Where: St. Luke’s Health Education Center, 3333 Squalicum Parkway.
Activities: Oct. 1 includes presentations on celiac disease, traveling and dining gluten-free, and preparing a gluten-free emergency kit. Oct. 2 features advice on gluten-free eating and baking by Karen Robertson, and a panel discussion followed by questions and answers.
Admission: Free.
Details: 360-734-4989 or GlutenFreeWay.info.
Reach DEAN KAHN at dean.kahn@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2291.
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Copyright © 2010, The Bellingham Herald, Wash.