5 things: Major Massachusetts hospitals to require COVID vaccination for staff

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

Three major Massachusetts hospital systems—Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey Health and Wellforce—will require all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, even those who do not have direct contact with patients. The three systems have about 130,000 total employees. The announcements follow a recent federal court ruling that dismissed an employee challenge against a similar mandatory vaccination policy at Houston Methodist Hospital that resulted in more than 150 employees being terminated or resigning.

Read more: 3 Mass. hospital systems will require all employees be vaccinated against COVID

Western Michigan University (WMU) leaders have voted to raise the cost of tuition and room and board rates for students after not imposing any increase last year due to the pandemic's impact on student finances. In addition, WMU is proceeding with a planned revitalization of the campus that will include new student center incorporating a new dining center slated to open in fall 2022..

Related:Biodigesters fight food waste at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Read more: Western Michigan University raises tuition, room and board costs 3% for students

St. Joseph’s Health in Syracuse, N.Y. is prescribing free fresh food for patients with diabetes and their families that it is distributing along with recipes for healthy meals at its main primary care center on the hospital campus. Patients get the ingredients to make two healthy meals a day, five days a week, for themselves and up to five members of their households. The “Food Farmacy” program is funded by a $500,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, a private, nonprofit dedicated to improving the health of vulnerable New Yorkers.

Read more: Syracuse hospital prescribes new medicine for patients with diabetes: free food

An attempt to honor Juneteenth backfired at a Georgia Ikea, thanks to a stereotyped menu curated to celebrate the recently declared federal holiday that marks the emancipation of the very last enslaved Americans. The menu included selections like fried chicken, watermelon, mac n cheese, potato salad, collard greens and candied yams that are stereotypically associated with Black Americans, prompting multiple employees to call out of work in protest. The controversy is similar to ones faced by a number of dining programs in recent years that sought to celebrate Black History Month with similar stereotypical offerings, resulting in the development of more positive approaches at some sites.

Related:Automated pickup pods boost sales for Fresh Ideas Food Service

Read more: Ikea Juneteenth menu with watermelon, fried chicken sparks outrage

Here's a photo tour of the living quarters and amenities planned for athletes competing in next month's Olympic Games in Tokyo. Among the features is the two-floor Olympic Village dining hall that will reportedly offer some 700 food options.

Read more: Inside the Tokyo Olympic Village, which will house 11,000 athletes and features a massive dining hall and 'fever clinic'

Bonus: Survey finds high-tech employees want work-from-home or they may leave

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]