Cabell Huntington Hospital - Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Overview

In fall 2009, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver came to Huntington to shoot a six-part ABC-TV television series called “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” which started airing in March 2010. Cabell Huntington Hospital worked very closely with Jamie Oliver, donating $100,000 to overhaul the school lunch program in Cabell County, which included eliminating nearly all processed foods from the menus and working with the chef consultants to train school cooks in all 26 schools to prepare meals from scratch using fresh, whole ingredients. Cabell Huntington Hospital also donated $50,000 to Huntington’s Kitchen, a community kitchen established by Jamie Oliver and turned over to the community. The funds will help Ebenezer Medical Outreach, a local provider of health services to underserved people in the community, to offer free and low-cost cooking lessons to anyone in the community. In 2012, Cabell Huntington Hospital increased its annual contribution to Huntington’s Kitchen to $75,000 annually.

Impact

All Cabell County schools have adopted Oliver’s new menus, nearly all processed foods have been removed, and all school cooks have been trained to prepare meals from scratch. In the community, the growing interest in healthy eating – which predates Oliver’s arrival but which was energized by his effort – has encouraged the opening of a grocery store in the city center, the creation of a state food council, and the popularity of a new restaurant that uses local ingredients. In 2011, Huntington’s Kitchen conducted classes for hundreds of students, some aimed at adults and others targeting children. The Kitchen also conducted 90 community outreach events, served an average of 150 customers weekly at the Fresh Market, and served more than 40 farming partners annually through the purchase of produce for the Fresh Market. Eighty-nine percent of cooking glass graduates report having improved cooking skills, and more than half report eating more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Challenges/success factors

At first, Cabell Huntington Hospital provided $80,000 to completely revamp the school lunch program. This was based on a preliminary estimate that all of the training could be done in 80 days (three days of training at each of the schools at $1,000 per day). However, it was later determined that five days of training were needed at each school. That required more funding, which Governor Joe Manchin provided. The training was completed at all 26 schools just before the end of the 2009-2010 school year. The additional $20,000 that came from the hospital went for living and travel expenses for the chef consultants from Sustainable Food Systems, who were in town for almost five months. USDA guidelines have caused challenges for the program, but the school system has received a commitment of cooperation from the USDA. And there is a very positive spirit throughout the county that these changes can (and will) be made.

Future direction/sustainability

The USDA’s involvement in the school lunch program provides an opportunity for Cabell County and West Virginia to play a central role amid the growing sentiment that the nation’s school lunch program needs to be re-evaluated in light of the childhood obesity epidemic. Other school districts in West Virginia are now exploring how they might also be able to implement these changes in their lunch programs, and West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin and First Lady Gayle Manchin are looking at possible options for expanding the program statewide. Huntington’s Kitchen, meanwhile, recently received a $25,000 grant from the Share Our Strength Foundation to offer its free Operation Frontline cooking courses to those most in need in Huntington. And the kitchen recently received word that it will receive a $98,000 grant from the State of West Virginia. Additionally, all of Huntington's Kitchen’s food is donated by U.S. Foodservice.

In 2012, Cabell Huntington Hospital announced a partnership with Ebenezer Medical Outreach, Inc., and Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine to expand the curriculum at Huntington’s Kitchen by at least 10 new courses in an effort to better address chronic disease management and prevention throughout the Huntington/Tri-State community. Under the partnership, Huntington’s Kitchen will continue to offer additional courses. Additionally, faculty and students from Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine will assist in the collection and management of outcome data to track the effectiveness of the new course offerings in terms of behavior change and health improvement.

Advice to others

Successful implementation of similar programs in other communities will require more than a financial commitment from the hospital sponsor. It will require a commitment of time and energy from multiple people within the organization who are passionate about and dedicated to the cause.

Contact: Doug Sheils
Director, Marketing & Public Relations
Telephone: 304-526-6392
E-mail: Doug.Sheils@chhi.org