Abstract

Seven preschoolers in pastel-colored capes are pretending to be Superman, "flying" across a carpeted classroom and jumping over imaginary obstacles.

These students, however, aren't in nursery school; they are part of a fitness and nutrition class sponsored by Fairview General Hospital here. The youngsters and their parents are discovering that hospitals aren't just for the ill and injured any longer.

Faced with shrinking patient rolls and reduced federal support, hospitals across the country are offering a wide variety of new and-for them-unconventional services to bolster their finances. Although the services themselves aren't always profitable, hospital administrators hope the programs will give their facilities a positive image and persuade customers to return when they need medical care.