Richard Gerdo may not know the names of all the nurses who care for him during his Menifee Valley Medical Center stay, but he's on a first-name basis with the food service "nutrition ambassadors" who bring him meals and snacks.
That patient-care customer service is part of a new program provided by Sodexo America, which under a contract provides food and nutrition services, environmental, housekeeping and laundry services to the hospital and Hemet Valley Medical Center.
That service expanded to add the nutrition ambassadors in September in Menifee, and began a roll out last week in Hemet, according to officials with Valley Health System, the public hospital district that operates the hospitals. The service is provided at no additional contract cost to the district.
Previously, once food service workers delivered food to the nursing floor, the task of delivering and picking up meal trays was handled by registered or licensed vocational nurses between their other patient care duties. The task takes about one hour per meal per nursing unit, officials said.
"Taking this off of their plate is not only good for nurses, but good for patients," said Debra Taylor, vice president of nursing services for the hospital district. "They're just glad it's giving them time back" to spend with patients.
"There's been very good interaction between the ambassadors and the nursing staff," she said. "It's put the care back at the bedside" for nurses.
In the past, because nurses may have to administer medication or assist a patient in other ways, there might have been delays in meal delivery from room to room with hot food cooling down, she said.
Rick DiCapo, the Menifee hospital administrator who still has his registered nurse credentials, remembers food service as one aspect of patient care in his training days. Today, some hospitals still have nurses serve meals while others have turned this into a food service function, he said.
Dana Francis, Sodexo nutrition director, said the ambassadors start in the hospital kitchen where meals are prepared and assemble each tray based on the patient's meal request and any dietary restrictions. They also stock cupboards on each floor with snacks and beverages.
"Patients have been very complimentary," said Cordialis Msora, nutrition manager.
Current Sodexo employees received 24 hours of training and new employees receive 40 hours that includes dietary education, customer service and even how to cope with special needs of patients, such as those who are dying, Msora said. "It's OK for the dying patient not to want to eat ... rather offer them comfort food."
Nutrition ambassador Rodney "Nick" Scott made his rounds at lunch one recent day. "I always remember what they want," said the Sodexo employee who said he may want to become a dietitian. He's heard mostly compliments about the service.
Freyda Sullivan, 86, of Temecula, had soup and gelatin for lunch, and called the food "excellent," much better than food she had eaten at a care facility in Temecula.
Gerdo, the patient, knows Scott by name and remembers getting an extra salad with garden fresh toppings one day and ice cream another time. He raved about the homemade soup. "The food is excellent here. If you've got to be ill, this is the place to be," quipped Gerdo, 67, of Sun City.
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