Keeping Healthcare Foodservice on the Cutting Edge

Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California, is a non-profit healthcare provider dedicated to improving quality of life through patient care. Thomas Cuisine began service at this specialized hospital in 2015 with an emphasis on providing scratch-made offerings for patients, physicians, and guests. Listening and responding to the unique needs and wants of healthcare leaders like Enloe Medical Center keeps patient foodservices on the cutting edge of modern healthcare, which is why Thomas Cuisine teams eagerly embraced Enloe’s desire to have enhanced offerings within their Physician’s Lounge. The lounge transformed into a chef-attended mini-café for healthy made-to-order breakfast and lunch options, as well as fresh-made grab-n-go meals for after-hours service. These chef-centric choices held up well throughout COVID-19, and the venue has proven adaptable to service changes through chef-attended stations.

Revenue and Non-Revenue-Generating Spaces within Hospitals

When considering usage of space within healthcare settings, potential revenue and productivity of the space are large factors in the decision-making process. Typically speaking, Physician Lounges offer complimentary amenities and are sometimes viewed as more overhead than profitable resource. However, in terms of Enloe’s Physician’s Lounge and an addition of an adjacent library, the hospital has found the space flexes to accommodate employee-focused clinics, meetings, and info sessions, resulting in increased compliance within hospital initiatives. During COVID-19, Enloe kept their Physician Lounge and Library open with extra sanitation protocols; the space became a reliable and approachable access point for “COVID Updates” which administration initially offered as informative sessions, and have now morphed into a time of important updates followed by a moment of gratitude, where leaders also discuss three things they’re grateful for.

Gathering spaces are an important part of physician and advanced practice provider wellness, these oasis opportunities provide healthcare environments with measurable results of physician satisfaction during outbreak events and natural disasters, as seen in Enloe’s satisfaction ratings during the past five years of facing a local dam breach of epic proportions, the devastating Camp Fire of 2018, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.