Really?? A Farmer's Market in the hospital?

[roser13]

A local hospital has been advertising that it is now holding weekly Farmers' Markets in the halls of the hospital. Apparently local farmers are bringing produce from their farms or gardens and the hospital sets up tables on the first floor of the hospital. The hospital is one of a chain of 3 in the city and all 3 are participaing in the market.

Does anyone else find this strange? What about the patients who are on immune precautions? What about the potential for insect infestation? And that's just the beginning....

[happy2learn]

I would hope it wouldn't be in the halls.

We have vendors all the time, not food, but others selling things (like hand made purses), but they set up in the main lobby.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

It is (as I understand it) in a large hall on the ground floor, just off the lobby. So no, it is not where patients would be expected to be.

[BrnEyedGirl, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Maybe it's like where I work, the first floor is a non patient floor,.where the cafeteria is, the gift shop, administration etc. We have some sort of fund raiser set up all the time,....just a thought.

[ItsTheDude]

i don't see an issue, the hospitals are a biz trying to diversify and make as much money as they can. many hospitals have other businesses/venders (like restuarant, banks, etc) in them and try to attract non-hospital related traffic/customers, a farmers market is no differ.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

"the hospitals are a biz trying to diversify and make as much money as they can"

:lol2:Sorry to laugh but that stikes my funnybone. Knowing the salary of the CEO of this not-for-profit hospital system, it tickles me to think of someone coming up with the grand idea of selling fruits and veggies to boost the bottom line.

[TDCHIM]

"the hospitals are a biz trying to diversify and make as much money as they can"

:lol2:Sorry to laugh but that stikes my funnybone. Knowing the salary of the CEO of this not-for-profit hospital system, it tickles me to think of someone coming up with the grand idea of selling fruits and veggies to boost the bottom line.

Hey, you never know! Maybe it's like the hospital Kwik-E-Mart - fruits and veggies that would cost a couple of dollars at the grocery store cost $10 there. Knowing the way one of my local farmer's market's goods seem to be priced, a hospital farmer's market could be lucrative if marketed the right way. It could be like a boutique, all-organic kind of thing patronized by the tony types.

[red2003xlt, LPN]

Egad! Imagine the frequent fliers whose idea of nutrition is a 2LTR Diet Coke washing down 3LB bag of Tater Chips.

Even allowing fresh fruits and veggies on the premises!!

[diane227, LPN, RN]

I don't think this is unusual. I have seen this type of thing in community hospitals. I would think they would not be bringing in any more diseases than the general public who come into the hospital. As long as they are not in a patient care area, I would not worry about it and I would go down there and buy myself some fresh veggies.

[Crispy Critter]

It just seems like a marketing technique. You know, make the public feel all warm and fuzzy about the 'homey' atmosphere. Anything to increase the public's awareness of the hospital and make it feel 'down home'. Hospitals are straying farther and farther away from what should be their primary focus-good patient care given by good staff in appropriate numbers. It will be so as long as caring for the sick is seen by administration as a business. That being said, I don't think I could resist checking out the tomatoes and sweet corn....

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Our hospital grows our own fruits and vegetables in the garden behind the hospital... You just gave me a good idea! As long as they are not selling the the halls right outside the patients room and disturbing them I do not see that is the big deal.