Hospitals are no place for fast food franchises, some doctors say

• Andrew Hudnall stared at his lunch and agonized about whether his doctor might be unhappy with him.
• The 57-year-old heart patient had just bought a chicken sandwich from McDonald's - in the food court of the Cleveland Clinic, renowned for its research into heart disease.
• I get in here, and this is tempting," said Hudnall, who was in a hurry and didn't want to fight the crowd at other restaurants in the clinic cafeteria.
• Even so, he said he agrees with efforts by the clinic's leading doctors to get some fast-food franchises out of the building.
• At a time when two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, putting their hearts and arteries at grave risk, health officials and physicians are urging people to be watch their weight and eat healthier.
• Having french fries at a leading center for treating heart disease sends the wrong message, officials of the Cleveland Clinic believe.
• The Cleveland Clinic's patients have included royalty and leaders of foreign countries, and some of the nation's most prominent heart researchers and surgeons work there.
• Nationwide, there does not seem to be much of a trend toward ejecting fast-food companies from hospitals.
• "We are in about 36 hospitals right now and have been for quite some time," said Ken Barun, McDonald's Corp. (MCD) senior vice president who oversees the company's "balanced lifestyle initiative," which promotes healthy food choices and physical fitness.
• The head of the American Association for Health Care Service Administrators said she is unaware of any other hospitals following Cleveland Clinic's lead.
• Do we serve healthy foods because we're in a health care facility, or do we serve what the customers are interested in having?"