Articles Index / Florida Hospital DeLand Caters to You (posted: 02/15/11)

Source: Florida Hospital
Media Contact: Lindsay Rew

“Catering to You” Increases Patient Satisfaction

DELAND – To further improve its dining experience for patients, Florida Hospital DeLand has recently contracted with Morrison Healthcare Food Services to manage Food and Nutritional Services with Kevin Grzeskowiak as the new director.

Patients will experience a new exceptional patient dining experience along with changes happening within the Daily Bread Café, the hospital's cafeteria.

If you are a patient at Florida Hospital DeLand, patients may be surprised when given several menu options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Personal choice dining is all part of Morrison’s “Catering to You” program which provides patients with a menu of food choices for each meal of the day, much like dining out at a restaurant.

Each patient is greeted daily by a Catering Associate with an array of choices. After being offered a menu of the day’s Chef’s Special, fresh fruits, vegetables, and home-cooked favorites, the patient makes their selections at the bedside, which is prepared and delivered by the same Catering Associate. Special diets and physician diet restrictions are taken into consideration before the order is prepared and delivered to the patient. Patients can contact their Catering Associate directly by phone.

“By allowing selection of healthy meal choices that are nutritious and appetizing, Florida Hospital DeLand empowers patients in the healing process,” said Grzeskowiak. “Patients that are satisfied with their meals and the personal attention will get better and recover sooner.”

Implementing this new service involved a significant shift in Food and Nutritional Services.

For staff, a Catering Associate, a member of the Food and Nutrition Services, must go through extensive training before they can start visiting patients. They are trained on topics such as therapeutic diets, general nutrition, infection control, confidentiality and more. Each Catering Associate is dedicated to their guests to ensure each dining experience is a positive one. Associates will interact with guests on an assigned floor between nine to 12 times during a 12-hour shift.

“The catering associates get to know their patients,” stated Grzeskowiak. “The people make the program.”

Having one person responsible for every aspect of a patient’s meal ensures greater accuracy. Having several interactions per day also provides more opportunities for service recovery if a patient does have any concerns.

Behind the scenes, significant changes were made to the process of meal tray preparation and delivery to accommodate the “Catering to You” Program.

Work stations were renovated to accommodate the trays being assembled by one person. Before, there was one tray preparation line staffed by many employees to assemble meals. The new system allows patients to receive their meals sooner and helps nurses time the patients’ medication distribution and treatments.

The Daily Bread Café also went through some renovations to make space and improve efficiency.

“We anticipate these changes will result in greater patient satisfaction,” said Grzeskowiak. “We hope this structure creates a more comfortable environment for the patient and ultimately contributes to their overall satisfaction regarding their stay at Florida Hospital DeLand.”

Come taste for yourself!

The public is welcome to come enjoy the changes Morrison has brought to Florida Hospital DeLand. The Daily Bread Café is open every day with hot food items being served at: 6:30 -10:00am; 11 am-3 pm; and 4 to 7 pm.