|
New 'At Your Request' Food Service Plan at Hudson Valley Hospital
 | | Matthew Seibel, left, Executive Chef at Hudson Valley Hospital Center, and Buford Fay, Director of Food and Nutrition Services, with one of their meals. |
|
At first blush, the new At Your Request food service plan at Hudson Valley Hospital Center (HVHC) sounds more like hotel room service than a patient meal plan. That's because the innovative concept enables patients to have their meals cooked to order and delivered when they want them.
"We are always trying to make our patients' hospital stays as comfortable as possible, and At Your Request is a step in that direction," says John C. Federspiel, president and CEO of Hudson Valley Hospital Center. "When patients enter a hospital, they often feel out of control. At Your Request gives them control over their food, which ultimately makes for happier patients."
Patients can order as much or as little as they want, unless they must eat (or not eat) certain foods for medical reasons. So, if it's a cup of coffee for breakfast, it's fine. If they prefer a Belgian Waffle, Breakfast Sandwich or Ham and Cheese Omelet, that's possible, too. If a patient has to have a test during typical lunch hours, ordering lunch later, say at 3 p.m., will not be a problem. The patient simply calls down to the kitchen, and within 45 minutes, his food will be delivered.
"The At Your Request slogan is 'What you want, when you want it,' which summarizes the concept beautifully," says Buford Fay, HVHC director of Food and Nutrition Services, and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
When patients first enter their rooms, one of the first things to greet them is the menu, titled "Room Service Dining." The nurse explains to them that they call in their orders between 6:30am and 6pm daily by dialing FOOD. When the call comes into the kitchen, a staff member inputs the order through a touch screen, which has prompts such as "ketchup or mustard with that order?" That way, nothing is forgotten. The computer generates a ticket, which then goes to the chef, who cooks each meal to order. If the patient orders something he is not allowed to eat, it is flagged, and the staff suggests alternative choices. If a diabetic patient doesn't order a meal, for example, the staff calls the patient, because a consistent eating pattern is needed.
If patients are unable to place calls, a hospital employee visits them with a laptop computer, and places the order for them. And for patients who don't like too many choices, the nutrition staff is more than happy to choose for them.
From the time the order is generated to the time the patient receives the food is about 45 minutes. Some foods, macaroni and cheese for example, can be cooked in advance and just warmed up. But the majority of dishes are cooked to order.
Chief Clinical Dietician Jennifer E. Fell, who spearheaded the program and her staff make sure the patients are eating what they should be eating. But she also realized that the more choices there are, the more pleased the patients will be with the food. "We have so many heart-healthy menu choices, and these are marked with a red heart on the menu," she said. "And the patients really can have it the way they like it. For example, we have a pasta bar, so you can have either spaghetti, penne or cheese ravioli, top it with marinara or Alfredo sauce, and add meatballs, grilled chicken or steamed vegetables if you like. We also have salads - Chef, Grilled Chicken Caesar, Grilled Chicken, or Cottage Cheese and Fruit - all wonderful choices for most people.
"In addition, each food has a numerical value on the menu, signifying carbohydrate servings, a real help for diabetics," Fell said.
Hudson Valley Hospital Center is located on Route 202 (1980 Crompond Road) in Cortlandt Manor, New York. Call 914-737-9000 or visit www.hvhc.org.
| Click ads below
for larger version
|
)