The foodservice program at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is broad and ambitious. They have traditional patient trays, room service and a cafeteria, but they also have a full-service restaurant that operates Monday through Friday. They have a medically tailored meal program that serves the hospital as well as area nursing homes and adult care facilities. They also have a small-footprint grocery on site, stocked primarily with donated food for low-income area residents. A mobile version of the grocery will launch soon to travel into the area's food deserts. The mobile and stationary groceries also work with local minority owned restaurants to prepare meals.
“We actually touch every county in the state with our meals,” says Director of Culinary and Executive Chef Dugan Wetzel.
Since January 2023, the Eskenazi culinary team has brought the same mission-driven ambition to reducing food waste with Leanpath, cutting their waste by an impressive 32 percent in just three months.