SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, September 19, 2018 (AP News): The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine–a nonprofit with 12,000 doctor members–applauds California Gov. Jerry Brown for signing into law a landmark bill that guarantees patients a healthful plant-based option at every meal. Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) authored Senate Bill 1138, which was co-sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Social Compassion in Legislation. “Whether to protect animals, our climate or our health, those of us who choose to eat a vegan diet can celebrate today with Gov. Brown’s signing of SB 1138,” says Sen. Skinner. “SB 1138 ensures that people in hospitals, healthcare facilities, or prison have access to plant-based meals.”
SB 1138 will require licensed California health care facilities and state prisons to make available plant-based meal options containing no animal products or by-products, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy, or eggs. “Thanks to Sen. Nancy Skinner and Gov. Jerry Brown for passing this historic law that will provide plant-based options to hospital patients looking to fight heart disease, diabetes, and obesity–or who simply want a more healthful meal,” says Physicians Committee president Neal Barnard, M.D., F.A.C.C. “Now, it’s time for California hospitals to start putting into practice the plant-based meals recommended by the American Medical Association and the American College of Cardiology.”