scthgharpy
Tue, Aug-21-07, 09:19
From Inside KP (Kaiser)
By Lynn Mundell
The proof is in the pudding. Or, in the case of the region’s new patient menu that was rolled out Aug. 6, it’s in the whole grains and fresh produce. These days, patient meals are especially tasty and healthy, thanks to the work of a regionwide multidisciplinary task force.
The team was formed last spring in response to patient survey results showing some patient dissatisfaction with hospital meals.
It included physicians, dietitians, nursing representatives, patient advocates, labor partners, support services, as well as KP’s commissary vendor, Food Service Partners.
“We wanted to include patient care representatives particularly because they have such an impact and can really influence the patient perspective on what they are being served in their hospital meals,” explained Jan Sanders, director of National Nutrition Services, who co-chaired the team with Kathryn Donohue, Support Service assistant administrator for the Marin/Sonoma service area.
The group talked with patients in order to develop the menu. One perspective really hit a chord with Sanders and the rest of the group.
“I talked with a patient who was a long-term, borderline diabetic who was concerned when she was put on both a diabetic and a low-sodium menu when she was hospitalized,” Sanders said. “She told me that she didn’t necessarily need a special diet so much as a healthydiet.”
This confirmed the direction the task force wanted to take and, as a result, the new menu began to revolve around grains, whole wheat, increased amounts of locally sourced seasonal produce, and new, interesting entrees—whether for regular, heart healthy or diabetic menus.
A significant point of pride in KP’s new meals and vending machine fare is that it’s made with locally grown food. In 2006, the region’s Food and Nutrition Service Department used 25 to 30 tons of local produce. This year, they project to double that amount. In addition, they buy and use more than 11 different kinds of locally sourced fruits and vegetables, including cherry tomatoes, pixie tangerines, and bing cherries.
But the group also learned that they needed to satisfy a wide range of palates, from those who wanted gourmet choices to those who preferred plainer food.
From there, the team worked with the vendor’s chef, who put together meal ideas and served taste tests to task force members who, in turn, applied the patients’ criteria to the food.
The new menu includes the simple—salmon with lemon dill sauce—and the more complex: cornbread crusted chicken breast with a low-fat buttermilk gravy and tomato confit served with glazed yams. These dishes and all others are accompanied by a descriptive paper menu.
The patient menu changes follow on the heels of KP’s Healthy Picks program, which places healthy foods in KP cafeterias and vending machines. (Look for the green and yellow sticker.)
“I think the menu changes really support our Thrive campaign in terms of getting back to the basics in improving the health of our members through all of the food that we serve at our medical centers,” said Sanders. “The fact that we are buying produce with an eye to the impact on the environment and the communities we serve really gets at the crux of KP’s mission of preventive care.”
08/15/07
By Lynn Mundell
The proof is in the pudding. Or, in the case of the region’s new patient menu that was rolled out Aug. 6, it’s in the whole grains and fresh produce. These days, patient meals are especially tasty and healthy, thanks to the work of a regionwide multidisciplinary task force.
The team was formed last spring in response to patient survey results showing some patient dissatisfaction with hospital meals.
It included physicians, dietitians, nursing representatives, patient advocates, labor partners, support services, as well as KP’s commissary vendor, Food Service Partners.
“We wanted to include patient care representatives particularly because they have such an impact and can really influence the patient perspective on what they are being served in their hospital meals,” explained Jan Sanders, director of National Nutrition Services, who co-chaired the team with Kathryn Donohue, Support Service assistant administrator for the Marin/Sonoma service area.
The group talked with patients in order to develop the menu. One perspective really hit a chord with Sanders and the rest of the group.
“I talked with a patient who was a long-term, borderline diabetic who was concerned when she was put on both a diabetic and a low-sodium menu when she was hospitalized,” Sanders said. “She told me that she didn’t necessarily need a special diet so much as a healthydiet.”
This confirmed the direction the task force wanted to take and, as a result, the new menu began to revolve around grains, whole wheat, increased amounts of locally sourced seasonal produce, and new, interesting entrees—whether for regular, heart healthy or diabetic menus.
A significant point of pride in KP’s new meals and vending machine fare is that it’s made with locally grown food. In 2006, the region’s Food and Nutrition Service Department used 25 to 30 tons of local produce. This year, they project to double that amount. In addition, they buy and use more than 11 different kinds of locally sourced fruits and vegetables, including cherry tomatoes, pixie tangerines, and bing cherries.
But the group also learned that they needed to satisfy a wide range of palates, from those who wanted gourmet choices to those who preferred plainer food.
From there, the team worked with the vendor’s chef, who put together meal ideas and served taste tests to task force members who, in turn, applied the patients’ criteria to the food.
The new menu includes the simple—salmon with lemon dill sauce—and the more complex: cornbread crusted chicken breast with a low-fat buttermilk gravy and tomato confit served with glazed yams. These dishes and all others are accompanied by a descriptive paper menu.
The patient menu changes follow on the heels of KP’s Healthy Picks program, which places healthy foods in KP cafeterias and vending machines. (Look for the green and yellow sticker.)
“I think the menu changes really support our Thrive campaign in terms of getting back to the basics in improving the health of our members through all of the food that we serve at our medical centers,” said Sanders. “The fact that we are buying produce with an eye to the impact on the environment and the communities we serve really gets at the crux of KP’s mission of preventive care.”
08/15/07