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70 CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS for Seton Medical Center Austin A combination of standard and customized Aladdin Temp-Rite ® products helped a hospital update its inefficient patient meal-service program. B efore the recent renovation at Seton Medical Center, the hospital's trayline and patient meal-delivery system was less than optimal. "This particular trayline was a big oval trayline," says Bob Danhauer, Director of Food and Nutrition at Seton. "I'd never actu- ally seen one like this before. Usually it's a straight shot, where you've got people on both sides. So it required a lot of people to build the trays because you didn't have access from one side to the other." Steve O'Connor, principal of the L2M Foodservice Design Group of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was brought in to consult on the problem and knew "it was really going to be a challenge. The existing space just wasn't condu- cive to a great flow," he said. So the hospital, with input from TouchPoint, made the decision to revamp its setup and service. Rather than having trays sent up to the patient floors on a dumbwaiter and having them served by nurses, it was decided to move to a "room-service" style of patient feed- ing, delivered by catering staff. The new style of service includes catering associates, who personally interact with patients several times a day. At the patient bedside, they take orders for meals and then return to serve their patients, just as a restau- rant server would. This added touch of personal service creates positive impressions for Seton patients, and www.aladdintemprite.com Tray assembly area configured in efficient POD work stations. • Type of Facility: Acute-care hospital • Beds: 425 licensed beds • Owner: Seton Healthcare Family operates more than 100 clinical locations across central Texas. Seton is a member of Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health sys- tem, committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all with special attention to persons in poverty and struggling the most. • Health System: Seton Healthcare Family, which operates more than 90 clinical loca- tions across central Texas. • Food Management Company: TouchPoint Support Services, part of Compass Group. TouchPoint currently operates 127 acute- and senior-care facilities nationwide. • Patient Dining Programs: TouchPoint Catering to You and Dining on Call room service ABOUT SETON MEDICAL CENTER INNOVATION