An ongoing ad campaign in 20 U.S. cities is criticizing hospitals for their ties with fast-food restaurants, and urging them to end those ties, according to an International Business Times report.
Here are five things to know about the ad campaign.
1. The ad campaign, which began Jan. 25, is by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.
2. It specifically targets areas with hospitals hosting Chick-fil-A branches, although hospitals have also contracted with McDonald's, Wendy's, Tim Horton's and other food chains, according to the report.
3. As part of the ad campaign, bus stops and billboards have been plastered with the slogan, "Ask your local hospital to go #FastFoodFree!"
4. Mark Kennedy, associate general counsel at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, attributed the reasoning behind the ad campaign to people's health. "Staff, executives of the hospital don't want these fast-food joints in there anymore," he said, according to the report. "They want healthier options."
5. The American Hospital Association did not take a particular stance on the issue of whether fast-food chains belong in hospitals, according to the report. According to the report, Maulik Joshi, the associate executive vice president for the group, said in an emailed comment, "Hospitals may also offer a variety of choices of food options to meet the preferences of their communities."