Avera has seen a lot of change across the decades, and among long-term employees who have seen all the growth, progress and challenges are dedicated individuals who work in hospital food service.
All That Café Goodness Begins Early
Kristy Petterson starts her shifts when many are turning in for the night, arriving to work at 11 p.m. “It’s quiet,” she laughs. “But I like it that way.”
Petterson is an overnight cook who works what her supervisor, Kevin Scholten, Culinary Supervisor, Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, has described as “hours undesired by many with an attitude matched by few.” She has been with Avera for 43 years.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of dining in Café 1325 at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center and tried the McKennan Chili, you have Kristy to thank.
“I’ve made the chili for 30 years! I didn’t create the recipe,” she clarifies. Still there is no doubt she has made it her own. “I think people like it so much because it’s so meaty. It makes for a nice, thick chili.” Petterson also makes a majority of the baked goods found in the cafeteria, from the scones to the cookies.
“Back when I first started, it was different because we had just a few hundred people through the cafeteria in a day. Now…” she says, shaking her head. “Well, there’s a lot more.”
In fact, an average of 1,750 people visit the Avera McKennan cafeteria each day.
Petterson is excited about the changes with the new cafeteria remodel, for example, yummy baked goods including muffins, cookies and sought-after caramel rolls, and breakfast made fresh on the flat-top grill.
She has also been present for innovations with Patient Food Service. “I really like room service,” she says mentioning the current model where patients receive a menu and decide what they want to order. “I think the patients like it too.”
Nearly 50 Years and Still Cooking at Avera
Cook Sheri Baum also prepares myriad foods for patients, staff and visitors. “I make the patient fruit plates and snack plates, I get everything prepped for the salad bar in the cafeteria and make our ranch dressing, and I make our homemade gluten-free granola and gluten free cookies,” says Baum, who has worked for Avera for over 48 years.
“Special diets weren’t much of a thing back in the day,” says Baum, who has worked in every branch of the Avera McKennan Food Service department from the dish room to patient nutrition and the cafeteria. “We had diets for diabetic and heart patients, and maybe the occasional pureed diet, but nothing like now.”
Kelsey Rounds, MS, RD, LN, Patient Nutrition Services Manager confirms that “modern nutrition research is fairly young. Research correlating diet with chronic diseases didn’t start until the 1960s.”
As both knowledge of nutrition and technology have advanced, Food Service has adapted to better serve patients. “The advancement of nutrition research is exciting,” says Rounds. “I am particularly excited about nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics – a simple mouth swab can provide personalized nutrition recommendations based on your genes.”
Regardless of how Food Service might adapt in the future, be it nutrigenomics heavy or not, the staff’s main focus will always be seeking ways to provide patients with foods they love, all while adhering to prescribed diets. It’s why Baum enjoys being able to offer options to those with more restrictive diets or allergies. “I like making the gluten-free cookies the most because I think it surprises people, how good they are. You might not expect that with a gluten-free cookie.”
A Culture of Caring Develops with Simple Conversations
Room Service Representative Laura McHugh agrees that Room Service allows patients more choice. She started working with Avera 27 years ago, “I’ve worked everywhere,” she says with a laugh listing them off on her fingers. “Dish room, Tray line, Food Service Ambassador. I actually started as a volunteer,” she said. “So if you count that, I’ve been here 30 years!”
Spending three years as a volunteer, McHugh learned the culture of Avera, which helped her develop a passion for serving patients. “The interaction with patients has been my favorite part over the years. You get to know people,” she says. “Some patients are here a day and some are here two months. You get to know them and you get to know their families.”
McHugh remembers a particular patient-family interaction she’ll never forget.
“When I was a Food Service Ambassador, there was a patient who was just really down. And I was like, ‘How can I make you laugh? How can I brighten your day?’ So, I did my turkey gobble.”
Anyone who has worked with McHugh has heard her turkey call. That day, years ago, she used it to make the patient laugh. All day long, whenever she would pass his room, she would gobble. It always made him laugh and became an ongoing joke between them.
Teamwork is important in effective patient care, McHugh believes. “If a patient really wants a cookie, and Food Service can make it work with their diet, then we need the whole team to deliver it.”
Avera Benefits for Longevity and New Employees
Avera employees are encouraged to live balanced, healthy lives. Long-term employees receive benefits and perks that include:
- Longevity payments, one time per year, that are a certain amount per year for employees of 15 years tenure and up.
- Accrual of more paid-time off days that increase at certain milestones: after two years, seven years, and 10 years.
New hires won’t miss out either. Those eligible will receive:
- A week of paid-time off already in their bank.
- An option to choose a free individual health insurance plan and employer-matched retirement savings opportunities.
Careers at Avera
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