Fort Bliss Monitor

Tracey L. Lofton

Christopher Schmidt, executive chef, St. Martin Dining Facility, WBAMC, prepares one
of his healthy vegetable dishes for lunch.

Beaumont recognizes
food service employees

Tracey L. Lofton
WBAMC Public Affairs

The St. Martin Dining Facility at William Beaumont Army Medical Center closed Oct. 6 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. in honor of National Health care Food Service Week. As the leading advocate of on-staff healthcare food and nutrition professionals, the National Society for Health care Food Service Management expressed their appreciation and gratitude to all the hardworking nutrition and food service employees working at hospitals and facilities across the country during a weeklong observance. The goal was to ensure food service employees were recognized for their year-round contributions and service.

“Friday, we shut down our dining facility to allow our employees time to enjoy a catered barbecue meal,” said Lt. Col. Lori E. Sydes, chief, Nutrition Care, WBAMC. “We gave each employee a lapel pin which said, ‘I make a difference at WBAMC.’ We also played the game, ‘Let's Make a Deal,’ where contestants answered food sanitation and other safety questions. If they answered correctly, they were able to pick what was behind door No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 for a prize. Our executive chef was the game show host and our warehouse male manager, was Vanna White, complete with wig and dress!”

HFM is the only professional society dedicated to senior on-staff health care foodservice management professionals and their suppliers. It is the first and only health care management society providing advocacy and targeted management tools to decrease costs, increase patient, staff and visitor satisfaction and define exemplary operating performance.

According to HFM, 80 percent of food and beverage purchases made by health care facilities, both acute and extended care, are made by on-staff operations. The total health care market for food and beverages is about $12 billion – making food service employees extremely vital to the daily operations of health care facilities nationwide.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	Oct. 19. 2006

	Tracey L. Lofton Christopher Schmidt, executive chef, St. Martin Dining Facility, WBAMC, prepares one of his healthy vegetable dishes for lunch. Beaumont recognizes food service employees Tracey L. Lofton WBAMC Public Affairs The St. Martin Dining Facility at William Beaumont Army Medical Center closed Oct. 6 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. in honor of National Health care Food Service Week. As the leading advocate of on-staff healthcare food and nutrition professionals, the National Society for Health care Food Service Management expressed their appreciation and gratitude to all the hardworking nutrition and food service employees working at hospitals and facilities across the country during a weeklong observance. The goal was to ensure food service employees were recognized for their year-round contributions and service. “Friday, we shut down our dining facility to allow our employees time to enjoy a catered barbecue meal,” said Lt. Col. Lori E. Sydes, chief, Nutrition Care, WBAMC. “We gave each employee a lapel pin which said, ‘I make a difference at WBAMC.’ We also played the game, ‘Let's Make a Deal,’ where contestants answered food sanitation and other safety questions. If they answered correctly, they were able to pick what was behind door No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 for a prize. Our executive chef was the game show host and our warehouse male manager, was Vanna White, complete with wig and dress!” HFM is the only professional society dedicated to senior on-staff health care foodservice management professionals and their suppliers. It is the first and only health care management society providing advocacy and targeted management tools to decrease costs, increase patient, staff and visitor satisfaction and define exemplary operating performance. According to HFM, 80 percent of food and beverage purchases made by health care facilities, both acute and extended care, are made by on-staff operations. The total health care market for food and beverages is about $12 billion – making food service employees extremely vital to the daily operations of health care facilities nationwide.