Patients and visitors at Lehigh Valley Health Network  recently took to social media to complain about the food service at the healthcare facility, according to an article on the Morning Call website.

Lehigh Valley switched food management companies in the spring and hired the company that managed its cleaning services — Compass One Healthcare — to also provide food service.  Some on social media spoke of recent experiences with food delays, but others said they experienced the problem before the management change.

Workers say the new food management company lacks organization and that there has been a lot of worker turnover. The kitchen often gets calls from patients, some in tears, because their food never arrived, workers said,

Maria Williams, who gave birth in July at LVH-Cedar Crest, said she called her mom to bring her food when her meal wasn’t delivered, but that wasn’t allowed because of restrictions in place for the pandemic. So she ate some candy bars she brought as snacks, according to the article.

According to a blog on Healthcare Facilities Today, complicating consumer demand for more nutritious dining options, shifts in the economy have turned up the heat on healthcare facilities. Rising food costs and budget cuts continue to squeeze the bottom line. 

Department directors are being challenged to find new revenue sources and to increase retail operations to off-set the cuts while still keeping food affordable.  More and more, they require partners who can help them meet the demands for better dining options.

Read the full Morning Call article.