Sodexo has announced a partnership with Catholic Health Services (CHS) in Miami and will provide culinary, housekeeping and environmental services for the healthcare system.
New technology was one of the major goals for CHS as it looks to the future, said Vanessa Lambert, business development executive at Sodexo.
“We knew their goal was to implement technology to streamline their campuses, and so we wanted to be able to align with that on how we developed our partnership proposal and the solutions that we included,” Lambert said.
Some of these solutions are a new point-of-sale system and smart vending options for the employee cafeteria. Lambert said the vending options allow for healthy employee meal options and the ability to utilize a system that does not need labor.
Additionally, Sodexo is bringing on customized menus and tableside ordering service. Tableside ordering was initiated with the aim to improve hospitality and provide more information to residents.
“We wanted the resident experience to also match that enhanced menu, so being able to take the tableside ordering, being able to let the residents see some of the nutritional right there at table side, [and] if they have any questions about the food or what ingredients are included, it allows the staff to provide them more information and a more upscale experience,” said Lambert.
In addition to creating an elevated experience, Lambert said she believes the new technology will improve efficiency: “The systems we’ll put in place, the technology, will help the communities and organizations really keep track of what is going on day to day operationally, which we estimate will lead to cost savings and more efficiencies.”
Sodexo is also bringing new sustainability initiatives to CHS, including a waste program that seeks to address overproduction.
“We have a system that we’ve put in called WasteWatch, which really helps us to track the amount of waste and put in solutions or interventions to decrease the amount of waste that the community is producing,” Lambert said.
Other sustainability efforts include using reusable containers and eliminating paper menus.
Lambert said the partnership is one with long-term goals. “They wanted a partner that would take their resident and employee experience to the next level but a partner not just for today but for the future too, that will help them grow and be innovative and be more efficient,” she said.
CHS operates more than 38 facilities in the Southeast Florida, with levels of care ranging from rehab to assisted living to hospice. The partnership will bring about 176 Sodexo employees to the healthcare system for a five-year contract.