‘Personal Choice Dining’ at BRMC

By George Nianiatus, senior writer
Communications Department

A personal touch can mean a lot to patients, even if it involves ordering meals.

With that in mind, Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) has launched “Personal Choice Dining” so staff hosts can personally take meal orders from patients and also deliver breakfast, lunch and dinner to them.

Before, patients made meal selections a day in advance on paper menus. Along with being somewhat impersonal, this method made it hard to gauge patients’ appetites and preferences, said BRMC officials. Personal Choice Dining is a Sodexo Services program which was modified by Kelli Anderson, clinical nutrition manager for BRMC’s Food & Nutrition Services, and Mark Krynock, interim director of Food & Nutrition Services. Sodexo manages Food & Nutrition Services and also Environmental Services at BRMC.

“It’s just a more personable way of handling the entire process of taking meal orders and delivering them,” Mrs. Anderson explained. “Now, a host will come to each patient’s bedside and take their orders just before mealtime for that day,” she said. “The hosts will also serve the meals to patients.”

With the previous method of patients ordering a day in advance, “It was hard for them to know how they would feel the next day or what their appetite would be like,” added Mr. Krynock. “This new program will definitely help patients’ satisfaction with
their meals,” Mr. Krynock said.

Additionally, Personal Choice Dining will eliminate the need of patients re-ordering meals. They will now have a better idea of what they would like at mealtime. Patients have already reacted favorably to the new program.

“It’s going great with patients. Also, we get more direct contact with patients to determine what they want,” noted Adam Priest, supervisor/host. “It’s nice to have more personal contact with the patients and they seem to like it, too.”

Mary Porter, who benefited from the new service as a patient this week, said she felt it brought the dining experience closer to her. "You don't just feel like a number, you're actually a person in that bed," she said.

Ms. Porter, RN, CNOR, who is also Nurse Manager of Surgical Services at BRMC, said the staff at bedside also explained various food choices with her regarding dietary restrictions and "were there as another friendly face in your day." For more information about BRMC and its healthcare services, go online at www.brmc.com.

Pictured, Bradford Regional Medical Center patient Mary Porter (left) gets her food order taken in person by staff from Food & Nutrition Services’ Amanda Glover, dietary aide/hostess, and Adam Priest, supervisor/host. The hospital has started the new program that brings staff to the patient’s bedside for a more "customer-friendly" approach to the dining experience.
(Photo courtesy of BRMC)