BCH Unveils Seasonal Menu Options for Patients

Hotel-style room service puts patient satisfaction at the forefront

Boulder Community Health recently rolled out a seasonal menu featuring fresh, tasty and healthy dishes for inpatients at its Foothills Hospital. The new Chef Series menu, delivered with hotel-style room service, is part of the hospital’s continuing commitment to helping patients feel comfortable and cared for during their hospital stay.

In March 2015, Foothills Hospital rolled out its Just for You® food service, featuring an overall healthier, tastier inpatient menu delivered room-service style. Instead of waiting for meals prepared in large quantities and delivered at set times, Foothills patients can order meals at any time from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Wholesome and tasty dishes — served hot, fresh and tailored to individual dietary needs — are then brought to inpatient rooms.

Patients have noticed the change.

"I had several good choices for each meal. Everything was prepared well and very appetizing," said Roslyn Moskowitz, a Lafayette resident who recently stayed at Foothills Hospital. "They gave me exactly what I ordered, and when I wanted it throughout the day. It was a real improvement over hospital food I’ve had in the past. "

The new Chef Series menu, which debuted on June 6, 2016, is a special seasonal addition to the hospital’s standard Just for You menu. It features other flavorsome and healthy meals such as a breakfast with fresh fruit, honey granola and Greek yogurt; a lunch of tomato-basil-and-two-cheese flatbread with Caesar salad; and a dinner entrée of rotisserie chicken with cauliflower-potato mash and steamed broccoli. A variety of new options will be offered for the July and August Chef Series menus.

“We recognize that delicious and nutritious meals are vital to the overall hospital-stay experience. Our kitchen operations have undergone significant changes to provide exceptional food and service to patients,” said Tom Ingalls, BCH’s director of food service. “With our new Chef Series menu, patients can enjoy fresh from-scratch cooking based on seasonality and current food trends, while still getting the high nutrition they need for their recovery.”

A Pilot Site for Aramark

Both the Just for You and Chef Series menus were developed by Foothills Hospital’s food and nutrition provider, Aramark Healthcare.

Recipes selected for the Chef Series were developed with input from culinary experts focused on creating nutritionally sound, great-tasting meals that would help improve patient satisfaction.

Foothills Hospital is one of a handful of health care facilities piloting Aramark’s Chef Series menu. The pilot will gather feedback from patients and food service staff, helping Aramark decide which Chef Series items to incorporate into its nationwide Just for You food service program.