MOBILE MEALS State, hospitals at odds over licensing

There are no concerns about food safety, the state spokeswoman said.
WARREN -- The Ohio Department of Agriculture is objecting to the long-established arrangement among Mobile Meals and two Warren hospitals for bringing food to Trumbull County's homebound residents.
St. Joseph Health Center and Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital prepare the food for Mobile Meals for a fee during the course of daily patient meal-making. Meals are delivered weekdays as volunteers take turns driving 350 to 400 meals to more than 210 clients. More than 50 volunteers serve every day.
The arrangement, however, does not comply with state regulations.
LeeAnne Mizer, a Department of Agriculture spokeswoman in Columbus, said the hospitals need to obtain a license through the department's meat inspection division.
"In order for any facility to sell food to a distributor, they have to be licensed. We are working with them to make sure this happens," she said. "The operation is not going to be shut down. There has been no issue with food safety."
Hospital spokespersons could not be reached Monday; nor could Sandee Mathews, Mobile Meals' executive director.
"As long as we're working toward satisfying them in some way or another, we're OK," said Atty. Patrick Parry of Niles, who serves on the Mobile Meals board of directors.
Serious issue
Parry said the licensing issue could prove serious for the organization if it's not resolved. The issue last arose in 1994 but the practice was allowed at that time by a former state agriculture director, he said.
"The hospitals look at this as public service," he explained. "It costs them money to participate in this."
He added, "I don't believe that the hospitals are going to submit to being a meat processor. It doesn't make sense for them to have that additional regulation. If they're not going to do that, then we have a serious problem."
Mizer did not have information on what the licensing would cost. She said money has not been an issue with the five or six other Ohio hospitals that have been made to follow the same process. The issue mostly is licensing and documentation, she explained.
Mobile Meals is asking for intervention from U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th; state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd; state Rep. Randy Law of Warren, R-64th; and state Rep. Sandra Stabile Harwood of Niles, D-65th. The legislators, Parry said, have been "really responsive."
"What we need to do is reach out across the state, to reach other similarly situated organizations," he said.
Providing meals
Mobile Meals, a volunteer nonprofit organization based at 280 High St. N.W., has a volunteer staff of about 550 people. Since its inception in November 1970, the organization has provided a hot, ready-to-eat mid-day meal for a fee to anyone in need. Emphasis is placed on seniors in the county who may not otherwise have a nutritious meal, or even contact with anyone from the community.
The issue, Parry explained, is that the state says food prepared but not served on the hospital sites must be delivered by hospital employees, not a different entity -- in this case, the Mobile Meals organization.
The state's position is that the hospitals in this instance are essentially a food distributor, and would have to be licensed and inspected accordingly, he said.
Mizer said a meeting was held last week among state, hospital and Mobile Meals representatives to discuss the issue, after the state became aware of it through industry word-of-mouth. There will be another meeting among the parties in about three weeks, she noted.
United Way funds cover about 12 percent of the annual budget for Mobile Meals.