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A hospital stay begets many questions. Why all these medicines? What can calm my pain? How long will I be here?
Another unknown for patients: Will I like the food?
The food delivery person peering through the curtain is often a more welcome sight than the nurse ready to poke your arm. You may sense that eating well is a key to unlocking your speedy recovery.
As director of food and nutrition services and inpatient clinical nutrition services at Stanford Health Care (SHC) Tri-Valley in Pleasanton, Joe Napoli correlates his role to the hospital’s mission.
“Food is medicine for the spirit as well as the body. Delivering a safe, quality meal with a smile is our contribution to giving our patients the best possible experience at SHC Tri-Valley,” Napoli told the Weekly.
Well aware that most patients would prefer being anywhere but the hospital, Napoli added, “We have the unique opportunity to deliver something our patients actually want while they are here.”
The inpatient meals at SHC Tri-Valley are far different from your father’s hospital food. The menu is configured like room service. You simply use a phone handset to order from the broad range of options on your menu.
Delivered within 45 minutes, your dinner is one of the 350 meals on average prepared and customized every day to meet the dietary and nutritional needs of each patient. Napoli’s kitchen staff also cooks the hot entrees for the public cafeteria and prepares meals for two community organizations. Napoli also aims for sustainable practices throughout the food service operations.
At first glance, the size of SHC Tri-Valley hospital in Pleasanton is deceiving. Largely hidden by the two, multi-story medical office buildings, the 167-bed center draws patients from the Tri-Valley, greater East Bay and beyond. The hospital and associated facilities in the Tri-Valley are part of the Stanford Medicine network based in Palo Alto.
Overseeing the hive of activity, Napoli is a certified dietary manager (CDM) and certified food protection professional (CFPP). Quality control is a critical aspect of the food service and clinical nutrition operation given the serious consequences for patients’ wellbeing if a meal is less than 100% accurately prepared and delivered.
The food service team of 52 includes nine cooks, various clerical and kitchen staff, a registered dietician and two managers. The clinical team comprises seven registered dietitians, two certified diabetes educators plus a clinical supervisor who ensure each meal meets the dietary requirements for the patient’s medical conditions from diabetes to dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).
About the ‘At Your Request’ menu
In 2006, the hospital — then known as Valley Care — was one of the first regional medical centers to implement “Meals at Your Request” inpatient room service dining. Stanford Health Care renamed the program “At Your Request” after assuming ownership of the hospital in 2015 and upgraded food service operations at SHC Tri-Valley four years later.
“We took patient meal service to the next level by using advanced technology to increase safety measures. We also added new items and developed creative ways to format our menu to enable more choices for our patients on therapeutic diets,” Napoli said.
The restaurant-style, multi-page, fold-out menu offers a bevy of food items. For those patients unfamiliar with dining out or who are uncomfortable selecting from so many options, the food service clerks who take the “At Your Request” orders can help patients decipher the menu.
During the admission process, patients can request halal, kosher or designate other food preferences. The menu identifies heart-healthy, vegetarian, fat free, low fat and low sodium food, and offers choices for clear liquid and full liquid diets.
The SHC Tri-Valley room service dining differs from hotel room service which is often available 24 hours a day. Patient meals can be ordered between the prescribed kitchen hours of 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. At other times, the nursing staff can procure cold food for the patient.
Inside the menu
The SHC Tri-Valley menu is not aligned with the options at the larger Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto.
“Our menu is designed to accommodate the rich cultural diversity of the community and patient population,” said Napoli, who pointed out several of the most requested menu items. He also noted that the menu is available in Spanish and translator service is available for other languages.
Unfolding the menu reveals that breakfast and between-meal nourishment and snacks are served all day; hot breakfast items are available until 11 a.m. only. The breakfast “Burrito Station” section presents the tortilla with an array of fillings: eggs two ways, bacon or turkey sausage, Swiss or cheddar cheese and five vegetables. The made-to-order omelet station features ham, turkey sausage or tofu, two cheeses, and five vegetables choices. For “Mains”, buttermilk pancakes are popular.
The combined lunch and dinner options are available from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Soups are followed by entree salads such as chicken Caesar or pita and vegetables. The “Grill” section lists burgers, tuna melt and quesadillas. The most popular “Main” is parsley and garlic salmon. Highlighting Indian flavors, tilapia is topped with mango chutney.
The “Stir Fry Station” generates broad appeal. Along with rice and chicken or tofu, you can choose four vegetables from the list of 12 and add curry or teriyaki sauce. With a nod to the diversity of palates, you can add cilantro, fresh ginger and fresh garlic.
Many patients are drawn to the pasta station with whole wheat penne or ditalini, small tubes of pasta like macaroni but smaller without the curve. You can add meatballs, chicken or tofu with up to four vegetables and add classic comfort food sauces such as Alfredo or marinara. An extensive fajita station is also available. The menu also lists additional vegetables and sides from sautéed mushrooms to macaroni and cheese and baked potato chips.
Desserts range from Oreo cookies, chocolate brownies and apple pie to puddings, ice cream and popsicles. There is no special menu for pediatric patients, but the same desserts are welcomed by inpatient children, too.
What about hungry new mothers? A special meal with sparkling cider and entrees such as miso-glazed salmon is wheeled into the room with gifts for the new mom and her guest. For those hospitalized on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, a special turkey meal is offered.
For the doctors who work around the clock, Napoli’s team stocks the physicians’ lounge with food and beverage. Food service also handles catering as requested for administrative and medical staff meetings and events.
Cafeteria food at value prices
The other SHC Tri-Valley locations in Dublin and Livermore do not offer food service. The hospital’s main lobby hosts the Pleasanton Coffee Cart with hand-crafted Starbucks beverages, open from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. during weekdays.
The Pleasanton cafeteria in the medical building at 5575 W. Las Positas Blvd. adjacent to the hospital is open to hospital and clinic visitors, staff, and the general public during limited hours, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends. A new feature is online ordering through an app.
A rotating selection of hot entrees are served on weekdays. When biscuits and gravy, beef Stroganoff and honey walnut prawns are on the menu, they sell out quickly. Menu items such as seafood bisque are $4.; tortellini with pesto and mixed vegetables, $8.
The grill is open at lunchtime for burgers and steak sandwiches, wraps and BLTs, priced from $5 to $7. The Buffalo chicken wrap on a 12-inch tortilla resembles a large burrito. In the cold case, grab-and-go selections range from Asian chicken salad and Super Veggie sandwiches to subs and desserts.
The food service team at the SHC Tri-Valley kitchen facilities at 1111 E. Stanley Blvd. in Livermore prepares meals for two community nonprofit organizations. During the week, an average of 350 meals and 175 on the weekend are cooked for Meals on Wheels which supports older, lower income seniors. On weekdays, the staff makes about 175 meals a day for the Head Start pre-kindergarten care and nutrition program.
Another of Napoli’s responsibilities is reducing the environmental footprint of food service. As part of the Green Team at SHC Tri-Valley, Napoli has increased sourcing of local and sustainable food products, incorporated compostable and recyclable disposable flatware, and has partnered with the Daily Bowl nonprofit in Hayward to reduce food waste by diverting surplus food from landfills and compost bins to community members living with food insecurity.
In 2023, Napoli’s efforts were honored with a Partner for Change Award from Practice Greenhealth, a national organization providing support and recognition for businesses who promote sustainable work practices.
At the hospital, patients are aware of the nursing and medical staff dashing around the corridors administering care. Rarely do they consider what goes on behind the kitchen door.
“If a food service employee at SHC Tri-Valley were asked, ‘What is your job at the hospital, what do you do?’ They would answer, ‘I save lives.’ They truly believe it because it shows in their work, 365 days a year,” Napoli said.
Observations after a hospital stay
Earlier in the year, my husband spent two days at SHC Tri-Valley. On the second day when he was feeling somewhat better, he ordered lunch from the options on the fajitas station of the “At Your Request” menu.
His regular dietary orders enabled him to order two desserts. A rarity at home, creamy tapioca pudding plus a cup of chocolate ice cream won his heart, and he perked up.
Recently, I stopped by the cafeteria to purchase a take home lunch for us. His eyes lit up at the sight of sweet potato fries and upon hearing the price for the two items was less than $15.
