Second August Man of the Month: Chef Bill Barum

Hippocrates is quoted as saying “let food be thy medicine.”  Disruptive Women’s August co-Man of the Month, Chef Bill Barum, has taken this philosophy to unprecedented levels, linking culinary excellence and better health at respected institutions and delivering measurable – and eye-opening – results.
That the Cleveland Clinic, under the leadership of CEO Toby Cosgrove, has become one of the world’s leading health and wellness facilities is well known.  A critical component of the Clinic’s success was the hiring of Chef Barum as the hospital’s Senior Director of Hospitality, Food and Retail Services.  Bringing Barum to the Clinic set in motion a re-imagining of the role of food in health care settings and a series of actions that are being replicated in multiple hospitals and clinics.
Dr. Cosgrove believed a hospital should not only be a disease recovery unit, but must be a center that advances wellness.  Thus, out went the deep fat fryers, the sugared beverages, the whole milk, vending confections and all Trans Fats to be replaced with food and beverages that pleased the palate while strengthening the body, for both patients and hospital staff.  The results were striking.  A study group of 8,000 Cleveland Clinic staff members showed a collective weight reduction of over 330,000 pounds. The need for pharmaceutical interventions among staff members was reduced by double-digit percentage figures.  The Clinic’s own health care costs dropped significantly...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - August 31, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Food Nutrition Source Type: blogs