Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center (CRDAMC) employee Lizia McCreary admits to having first-day jitters when the day arrived for the dining facility to launch its latest patient-experience program: A celebratory meal service for new moms.
Everything had to be perfect, said the Patient Tray Service (PTS) employee, as she carefully inspected each tray: A blue napkin for boys; a pink napkin for girls.
Behind the counter, PTS supervisor Mary Gadson was garnishing and expediting the personalized food platters, each adorned with an 8-ounze rib-eye, baked potato and perfectly blanched green beans.
"Every second counts," Gadson said, as she hurriedly added final garnishes to the colorful plates. "No one wants to eat a cold steak or baked potato."
With food prep done, trays loaded and the cart ready to roll up to the 4th Floor Mother-Baby Unit, the small dedicated staff spontaneously burst out in applause. For Gadson, it was like "rockets going to the moon," a feel-good type of blast off that was not really about the food, but about the moment: Celebrating the gift of life.
It was a new beginning for CRDAMC, a beefed up treat that was 180 degrees more delicious than the old hospital's celebratory cupcake dessert.
Gadson, McCreary and the other patient tray service employees were finally able to breathe, yet they were still anxious.
Although Gadson knew the food product and preparation was first class, she was still worried.
"What if they don't like it?" the PTS supervisor thought, concerned that the notorious low reputation of hospital food might taint the new moms' taste-buds expectations. "I want them to be shocked that CRDAMC's food service is 'off the charts' delicious."
And shocked they were, bite after bite.
"Oh my gosh," said a ravenous Rebecca Nelson, who closed her eyes while shaking her head in delight after taking a few bites of the garnished baked potato and grilled steak. "This tastes absolutely phenomenal."
Meal 'home run' for new moms
The meal was a home run, not only for Nelson but also for her finicky steak-eating husband, Sgt. Stephen Nelson, a food-service specialist at Fort Hood's Ironhorse Dining facility.
"Best steak I've ever eaten," said Sergeant Nelson, complimenting its perfect seasoning and colorful brown and green presentation that he said is representative of Fort Hood. "I don't think I've ever come across a restaurant that has made a steak as good as this. It's just perfectly cooked and so full of flavor."
Although mom's meal is complimentary, family members can purchase an accompanying meal for $8, a price Nelson thought was a good deal for the 4-course meal that besides the steak, potato and green beans, also includes a dinner roll, salad, fruit cocktail and a dessert.
"It's really a bargain, considering what steaks cost on the outside," said Nelson, who praised CRDAMC for the superb new program. "It's just a great idea that I can share a meal like this with my wife."
The celebratory lunch, however, wasn't the first time the sergeant had dined at CRDAMC.
"I've been impressed with all the food I've had at the hospital so far," he said, jokingly saying that he's going to switch dining facilities during his lunch break. "The food here tastes really that good."
The meal, which was launched January 18, was months into planning, according to chief nutritionist Major Nicole Charbonneau.
"We wanted to provide these new moms and families with something special to celebrate what just occurred in their lives," she said, praising her team for their hard work and enthusiasm. "We had to get it just right because it's all about the patient experience."
Besides steak, the new moms can choose other dishes such as a Cornish hen or a ravioli veggie entree. Dessert options include an apple caramel pie, cookies or a raspberry cheesecake.
New mom meal celebrates life
Each meal also includes a celebratory card, which adds to the patient experience said new mom Lakeesha Sconiers.
"It's just so special," she said while savoring her juicy steak, one bite at a time, as whiffs of deliciousness teased her hungry friend, Tabitha Sanders.
"Yes, I'm a little jealous because all I had was a yogurt drink this morning," said Sanders. "The smell is really getting to me!"
The delightful aroma also was affecting Sconiers new son, Silas.
"Look at him purse his lips," said Sanders, "He wants a bite of that gourmet meal, too."
Sconiers, who labeled her apple caramel pie as "super delicious and the best apple pie she's ever eaten," did leave a bite of steak for her husband, who joined her later for lunch.
"He's a rib-eye guy, so I had to save it for him," she said, relaying that her husband also loved the steak and couldn't believe a meal so tasty was far different than the bland food normally associated with hospital dining.
The meal even had one of the new mothers posting photos of her meal on social media.
"My friends were impressed with the presentation," said Nakita Wilson, adding that they were all kidding her about being fed "so good" with some comparing her experience at CRDAMC to their experiences at another local hospital. "One of my friends was so jealous when I told him we even get to choose from a menu each day."
Overall, the hungry mothers said, the meal was not only scrumptious, but a welcome surprise and a bonus to having their baby at Darnall.
"I just wasn't expecting this," said Carrie Van Essendelft. "It just shows that a lot of love and emotion went into preparing this wonderful meal.
And those are exactly the words that brought smiles to the PTS staff when Major Charbonneau shared the new moms' reactions and reviews from the inaugural meal with them the next day.
"It was wonderful to hear the compliments because people always seem to give hospital food a bad rap. It motivates us to continually do even better," said Gadson. "It's a great feeling and just makes us happy that we're doing something special for our moms, and that it is bringing them so much joy."
(Editor's note: As Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center (CRDAMC) nears its first-year anniversary, the Fort Hood hospital is launching a pre--celebratory patient-appreciation week February 13-17. Throughout the week, CRDAMC is hosting various events ranging from live Facebook feeds from various departments to "java chats" with the commander. The week-long event is designed to demonstrate CRDAMC's appreciation for the privilege of serving its 100,000 plus beneficiaries, as well as thank them for choosing CRDAMC. Since the new hospital's 2016 opening, it has incorporated numerous customer-service improvements based on beneficiary feedback, as well as implemented new programs designed to improve the patient experience. This story is two of a two-part series on the "patient experience." Read part one here: https://www.army.mil/article/182650/)
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