Eat healthier, support local sustainable farmers, and support a healthier environment for us all this holiday season!

See how below:

When Laurie Savage started to write an article for Lancaster Farming’s Southern Edition about Maryland hospitals, she soon discovered there was too much going on to cover in one article. Instead, what resulted was a 3 part series in the weekly paper, each with front page coverage. The first, “Maryland Health Care Facilities Buy Local Food,” published January 1st, mentions our USDA grant worth $100,620 that Louise Mitchell secured this year. This grant is enabling Louise and MD H2E’s sustainable food staff to work with more Maryland facilities to purchase sustainable, locally sourced produce and meat. Savage also brings attention to the Healthy Food in Health Care pledge, the Balanced Menus Challenge and the Buy Local Challenge. She writes, “Collectively, this year, the facilities spent more than $15,000 during the week on foods from local farms, including fruits, vegetables, eggs and meat.” To read the rest of the article and learn more about MD H2E’s food initiatives, go to:

http://www.lancasterfarming.com/results/Maryland-Health-Care-Facilities-Buy-Local-Food

“A Healthy Relationship,” featured in Lancaster Farming’s January 8th edition, focuses more on the hospitals, highlighting Union Hospital of Cecil County, Carroll Hospital Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Meritus Medical Center and Sinai Hospital. Union Hospital and Carroll Hospital both served

local sustainable turkey for Thanksgiving, which employees and patients raved about. Meritus Medical Center, meanwhile, is reducing food waste in the kitchen by saving their scraps for a local hog farm. Sinai Hospital buys local food from one of Baltimore’s first urban farms, Real Food Farm. There are so many different ways that a hospital can serve delicious sustainable food while supporting the local economy. For more, go to:

http://www.lancasterfarming.com/results/A-Healthy-Relationship

The final article in the series, published January 15th, is titled, “Beefing Up His Business.” Showcased is Liberty Delight Farms in Reisterstown, MD, which exclusively provides beef to Union Hospital of Cecil County. Shane Hughes, who runs the farm with his cousin, connected with the hospital at last January’s Buyers-Growers Meeting, run by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Buying directly from the farmer can save money, especially when purchasing a whole animal. Savage writes, “Training will be needed to show hospitals how to use more parts of an animal, including unfamiliar cuts, organ meats and bones to make soups and stock. Different hospitals will be able to implement the whole-animal concept in different ways, depending upon their facilities.” To help accomplish this, MD H2E is working on a survey for hospitals “to determine which cuts they would purchase and how much they would purchase from farmers and… what standards should be implemented.” For more:

http://www.lancasterfarming.com/results/0115S-Hospitals3

Shane Hughes of Liberty Delight Farms; Union Hospital of Cecil County purchases its beef exclusively from him.

MD H2E Sustainable Food Newsletter – 2010 Holiday Issue

For your holiday enjoyment, here is the MD H2E Sustainable Food Newsletter – 2010 Holiday Issue.  This is section 2 of our two-part end-of-the-year newsletter, with section 1, entitled 2010 Growing Season Wrap Up, released just 2 weeks ago and posted here on our MD H2E website.

Here are the latest stories featured in this issue:

• Good Samaritan Hospital & Union Hospital captivate conference attendees with healthy food initiatives
• Carroll Hospital Center & Union Hospital serve local sustainable Thanksgiving turkey
  – This story includes a breakdown of purchasing details and employee feedback
• Chefs from Harford Memorial Hospital & Sinai Hospital work with local restaurant to prepare conference food
• Why buy local sustainable turkey
• Voices from health care on healthier foods
  – Casey Starshine, hospice nurse, clinical faculty member, practicum student with MD H2E
  – Mindy Athas, clinical dietitian at University of Maryland Medical Center
• New staff and consultants at MD H2E
• Plus MANY important upcoming events in the New Year!

Please join us in welcoming our newest staff member to MD H2E, Priya Saha, BSN, RN, who is now working with our Healthy Food in Health Care program to provide you with support on your local sustainable meat and poultry purchasing initiatives in 2011.

Also, please welcome communications consultant Renee Catacalos and agricultural marketing and production consultant Ginger Myers, who are also working with us at MD H2E to support you in promoting and implementing your local sustainable meat and poultry purchasing initiatives in 2011.

We hope you enjoy this newsletter … and have a safe and happy holiday!