Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point (RMCBP) is a 290-bed acute-care facility in Hudson, Florida, at the northernmost point of the Tampa Bay metropolis. In addition to nationally recognized cancer, orthopedic, and neurosurgery programs, RMCBP is home to the nationally acclaimed Heart Institute, which has been awarded numerous accreditations and awards by the Joint Commission, the American Heart Association, and the American Stroke Association, just to name a few.
Given its strong emphasis on cardiac care, RMCBP has long focused on the link between nutrition and heart health. Patients have always received meals that meet appropriate calorie, salt, and fat guidelines. Community education classes on heart-healthy nutrition are offered on a regular basis. The hospitalās Facebook, Twitter, and blog pages are jampacked with healthy-eating tips.
The link between diet and other diseases, including diabetes and certain cancers, is also explored in detail. It should come as no surprise, then, that employees and visitors who stop by the hospitalās Shoreline Cafeteria are also presented with healthy options, from meal combos to āgrab-and-goā items.
āWeāve just recently made some changes to the grab and-go program,ā says Louis āChipā Buck, Food and Nutrition Services Director. āWeāve eliminated high-calorie, high-fat desserts like pies and cakes, and replaced them with yogurt parfaits and fruit cups. Weāve also made our bottled waters more prominent in the beverage case, moving them from fourth position to first position. And weāve priced the water lower than bottled soda.ā Customers had been asking for healthier choices, but the response has been even better than Buck imagined. āThe new parfaits and fruit cups are way more popular than the previous desserts. They cost us less, and weāre bringing in more money with them, so itās a win-win.
Weāre also now selling more bottled water than bottled soda.ā Buck is currently mulling over new ideas to expand this āhealthy retailā initiative. āWe offer sandwiches, milk, some juicesāthings like that ⦠primarily intended for people to take with them back to their desks or for the overnight shift, when the cafeteria is closed,ā he says. āAnd weāre always looking for new opportunities to introduce better nutrition.ā
Building on a Legacy
That commitment extends as far back as 2006, when Buckās predecessorāJoyce Hagen-Flintābegan transforming the Shoreline Cafeteria menu to reflect a greater national emphasis on healthy nutrition.
Back in 2008, Hagen-Flint told Foodservice Director magazine that a āsignificant portionā of the RMCBP customer base was interested in heart-healthy menus, and that one-third of its customers followed a heart-healthy regimen.
In response, she and her staff deemphasized deep-fried and cheese blanketed items and put more focus on salads and other low-calorie, low-fat items.
That focus continues today. āWe always have a Healthy Plate as one of three entrĆ©e choices in the cafeteria,ā Buck says. āIt fits a heart healthy profile, with lower fat, calories, and sugar.ā The entrĆ©e is also offered as part of a Healthy Value Meal that may include a grain, vegetable, and/or dessert.
Healthy options are offered at a substantial discount compared to standard dishes. For instance, a Healthy Plate vegetarian meal might be priced at $2.75, while the same dayās pulled-pork and chicken-quarter choices would each retail for $4.
In the almost two years since he assumed the Director position, Buck says he has added more vegetarian dishes to both the cafeteria and the hospitalās in-house catering menu. And he continues to encourage culinary experimentation on the part of his staff.
Not Afraid to Try
āOur nutritional standards for healthy meals necessitate that we produce them ourselves,ā Buck explains. āWe canāt rely on processed foods and premade items. It can be a challengeāif you take away the fat but you canāt replace it with sugar, what do you do?
Weāve learned how to use healthier alternatives more efficiently.ā When it comes to evaluating new healthy options, Buck likes to remain open-minded. āIf we introduce a new meal and itās not received terribly well, then we wonāt offer it again,ā he says. āAlthough sometimes we believe in something so strongly that we give it some time.ā For instance, he says, a hot garbanzo-bean dish started off as a slow seller but now is quite popular. The foodservice staff makes extensive use of fresh fruits and vegetables.
āWe have a salad bar, and we also offer made-to-order salads.ā And whole-wheat pasta has become a specialty. āWe really know our way around it now.ā RMCBP has also revamped its vending program to offer healthier options.
āWe worked with our supplier to replace about 40 percent of existing items with better-for-you choices, and we developed a sticker that immediately identifies these foods. So you can see right away whatās a good choice.ā
āChoiceā is a key concept, according to Buck. āWeāre not dictating to people what they have to eat. We still have plenty of ānot-so-healthyā options available. But weāre making it easy for people who do want to eat better, and weāre encouraging healthy eating behaviors.ā In the future, Buck would like to introduce more made-to-order items, like stir-fry dishes.
āThat way, people can pick and choose which ingredients they want. It gives them more control over how healthy they want to eat.ā
He also would like an electronic menu board. āWe have nutritionals posted in the cafeteria and on the hospital intranet, but an electronic board would be more prominent and easier to update.ā
Buckās advice for other foodservice directors venturing into healthy retail? āDonāt be afraid to try different things. Be creative. If something doesnāt really work, so what? Start over again the next day.ā Youāll get credit for the attempt, Buck says, and youāll learn something valuable along the way. Itās all about helping people eat healthy.
āThatās just the right thing to do,ā he says.