FM On Demand and Healthcare On Demand are video interviews with onsite dining professionals who talk about creative and interesting initiatives they have developed or undertaken.
Hospitals are integral parts of the communities they serve, and at no time has that mission been more critical than during the recent pandemic. One role that has become increasingly important—other than the provision of healthcare services—is to serve as an economic hub supporting local businesses by purchasing products and services from nearby vendors as much as possible.
At Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital, that role is being taken one step further with its Small Business Rescue Initiative that will support local restaurants by purchasing food for its doctors lounge and in-house special events from them. This not only helps struggling local businesses but also the in-house dining team, which can now concentrate on its core role of providing patient meals and retail dining services to staff.
In this FM On Demand interview, Chris O’Brien, associate executive director of financial operations at the hospital and the originator of the Small Business Rescue Initiative, talks about how and why he came up with it, how it will work and how it benefits everyone involved.
