Large crowd attends program as part of 2010 Spirit & Place Festival: Food for Thought

Contact: Todd Harper 
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A large crowd seeking food for thought – and best-selling author Michael Pollan’s thoughts on food – enjoyed a healthy serving of both at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Friday afternoon during the 2010 Spirit & Place Festival: Food for Thought. 
Wishard presented Pollan's discussion, featuring IU School of Medicine Sound Medicine host Barbara Lewis as moderator, as part of the annual festival, reflecting Wishard’s commitment to supporting environmental and dietary health factors as key components of total community health. 
"Wishard recognizes the importance of healthful food options as an integral part of our model of care, which focuses on primary and preventive care," said Dr. Lisa Harris, CEO and medical director of Wishard Health Services. "We are proud to support this opportunity for the people of Central Indiana to connect with a true global thought leader like Michael Pollan. Nutrition is a serious challenge for the urban population we serve, and Wishard is a leading advocate and community resource for advancing awareness and adoption of healthy lifestyles and food choices to support improved health outcomes." 
Pollan discussed in detail the places where nature and culture intersect: on our plates, in our farms and gardens, and in the built environment – the primary subject matter for his books, which includes four New York Times best-sellers. 
"I think we know all we really need to know to eat well," said Pollan, who credited gardening with sparking his interest in identifying the disconnect between the natural and human worlds. "The health care industry has a tremendous role to play in changing the calculus of this issue."
Pollan's most recent book, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, published in 2010, continued in a line of best-sellers from The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World (2001) to The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (2006) to In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto (2008). 
"In addition to our focus on care, especially primary and preventive care, Wishard is working hard to positively affect the health of Indianapolis through many programs including Wishard’s farmers’ market, our participation in numerous health fairs and our expansive programming in 10 community health centers. Our support of this event furthers that commitment," said Matthew Gutwein, president and CEO of Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, which operates Wishard. "Wishard also recognizes the impact of sustainability on community health. The New Wishard, opening in 2014, will feature a first-of-its-kind sky farm where Wishard will grow organic foods to offer its patients and staff healthful options. It’s just one part of our program to make The New Wishard the first newly built hospital in Indiana and one of only 10 in America certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver or higher by the U.S. Green Building Council."
Attendees enjoyed an opportunity for a Q&A, as well as a book-signing, following Pollan’s discussion. The presentation kicked off the Perpetual Pitch-In Project, which features 48 hours of consecutive community meals through Central Indiana aimed at combating hunger. 
Michael Pollan: 
For the past twenty-five years, Michael Pollan has been writing books and articles about the places where nature and culture intersect: on our plates, in our farms and gardens, and in the built environment. He is the author of four New York Times bestsellers: Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual (2010); In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto (2008); The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (2006) and The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World (2001). The Omnivore’s Dilemma was named one of the ten best books of 2006 by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. It also won the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, the James Beard Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. 
This year, TIME named Pollan to its annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people. In 2009, Newsweek named Pollan as one of the top 10 “New Thought Leaders.” A contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine since 1987, his writing has received numerous awards. Pollan also serves as the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism. 
Learn more at www.MichaelPollan.com