Hospital president defends emergency room junk food

Sept. 20—The head of a private Brooklyn, N.Y., hospital defended his junk-food filled emergency room vending machines, saying people prefer it to healthy snacks when they're in the middle of a crisis.

Brooklyn Hospital Center President and CEO Richard B. Becker made the assertion at a Community Board 2 meeting, saying he had no reason to swap out the sugar and fat-filled goodiesfor something more nutritious.

"We are not responsible for what people eat," he said. "They make their own choices.”