August 20, 2008
For Immediate Release
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital launch/expand
room-service dining for patients
Eau Claire, Wis., - St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls and Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire are launching restaurant-style menu options for patients. Since August 12 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, patients in the hospital’s Birth Center have been able to order breakfast, lunch and dinner meals from in-room menus with several options. These patients have been able to call the Foodservice Department to order what they want – within their respective dietary guidelines – when they want it. The program launched with patients in the Birth Center, and will branch out to other patients from there.
Each mom in the Birth Center now receives a restaurant style menu. When she has made her meal selections, she can call St. Joseph’s Hospital’s dedicated room service line. A member of the foodservice team takes her order, and within 30 to 45 minutes, the meal is delivered. Breakfast can be ordered from 7 am – 9:30 am, lunch from 10:30 am – 1 pm and dinner from 4:30 pm – 6 pm. This allows a new mom more flexibility to order her meal when she’s ready for it, allotting her time to feed and care for her baby and catch up on rest. One additional guest tray can also be ordered at each meal time for a nominal fee. The cafeteria will continue to be available for times when family and friends come to visit.
“This innovative dining program will allow our patients to select their meals from an expansive menu, while enjoying the benefit of our extended meal service times,” says Stacey Meinen, Foodservice Coordinator, St. Joseph’s Hospital. “We are all very excited about providing these enhanced services to our OB customers and hope that this will enrich their stay with us.”
Sacred Heart Hospital also will be launching a similar program in November 2008, in concert with the newly developed Buy Local-Buy Wisconsin initiatives. Currently, patients in Maternity receive this service, but it will be rolled out to all inpatients later this year. Room service will include multiple selections of locally grown and produced foods. Patients will be able to order meals from 6:30 am – 6:30 pm, seven days a week. Patients will receive their meals within 40 minutes of calling in an order. There is no extra charge for patients to use this service. There is a nominal fee for guest meals.
“We’re giving patients more say in their meal options,” says Rick Beckler, Director of Hospitality, Sacred Heart Hospital. “This program will enable our patients to order food on their schedule – when they’re ready for it.”
“Sacred Heart Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital look forward to carrying on the Franciscan mission and supporting the local farmers and producers in western Wisconsin who provide healthy and nutritious menu options for our patients and our staff,” added Beckler.
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