Food is medicine: IWK receives hundreds of suggestions on how to change menu

Carolyn Ray · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 18, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The IWK Health Centre says it has been bombarded with feedback arsenic it looks to overhaul its menu.

The Halifax infirmary for women and children launched a survey successful March, asking existent and erstwhile IWK families to measurement successful connected the Dial for Dining nutrient services.

It operates akin to country work astatine a hotel, allowing patients and their families to bid disconnected a menu around the clock.

Andrea Penney, the manager of nutrient services, said she was shocked by the response. At slightest 900 surveys were completed earlier the deadline connected Friday night.

"This shows however important nourishment is successful the diligent travel and what an interaction it has," she said. "We cognize that it's 1 of the items that erstwhile you're successful infirmary you tin control."

The IWK is launching a caller machine strategy successful August that volition see changes to the mode the nutrient services section operates. Penney said it seemed similar a earthy clip to update the menu.

"We've gotten immoderate great, large feedback specified arsenic looking for much gluten-free options, focusing connected local," she said of the responses. "More vegan and vegetarian, and of course, much foods from our cultures."

While the authoritative survey ends Friday night, Penney is encouraging radical to proceed to stock their thoughts connected the infirmary nutrient by reaching retired to the diligent feedback line.

She said it volition instrumentality immoderate clip to sift done each the responses, but her section already knows immoderate changes it volition make, including however nutrient is presented to the patients connected their serving trays.

"One of the pieces of feedback that's travel up a fewer times is astir patients with autism and not wanting foods to touch," Penney said.

New app to spot orders

Other patients person talked astir the mode nutrient is ordered, that it tin sometimes instrumentality a portion to get done connected the Dial for Dining telephone lines. Penney said the IWK is processing a diligent app that volition beryllium launched successful the fall, and that volition see the enactment to bid nutrient directly.

"We deliberation that's going to person a large interaction connected being capable to spot calls connected demand, and of people getting your meals up to your rooms," said Penney.

The changes to the nutrient strategy won't hap overnight.

Penney said they'll commencement investigating caller recipes this summer, and anticipation to motorboat immoderate of the caller meals successful the fall.

But she wants to guarantee radical that 2 of the astir fashionable items – the quesadillas and the section blueberry crisp – aren't going anywhere.