After passing their recent audit and receiving zero deficiencies during the past year, Wesbury’s Grace Rehabilitation and Health Center Dietary Department have been named a Showcase Account by Sodexo, a global provider of integrated food and facilities services. Wesbury has partnered with Sodexo for more than two decades. Together, they are focused on driving innovation in programming and improving service delivery to the residents and visitors at Grace. The Showcase Account designation is challenging to achieve and requires accomplishments in a wide array of categories. As part of the recognition, the Grace Dietary Management will receive $5,000, which will be invested in new advancements for maximizing the quality of life for Grace residents.

Wesbury and Sodexo share a Quality of Life vision that refers to the general wellbeing of people. There are many factors that impact Quality of Life including health and wellness, a sense of community, environment, job satisfaction, and socioeconomic status. To meet the criteria, the Wesbury’s Sodexo Dietary Management Team, led by Barb Loiacona for 19 years, must document the execution of all the programs that promote Sodexo and Wesbury’s vision. These standards include all areas of resident service and education, staff training and communication, quality and sanitation, and implementation of successful innovative programs.

So what made Grace Dietary rise to the top?

It is knowing that a good meal is important to people and making every effort to ensure that the residents receive a quality, enjoyable, and nutritious dining experience. To accomplish this the team offers enticements such as Hydration Station carts and mock cocktails on all of the neighborhoods to encourage proper hydration; “Mindful” healthy meal selections offered daily in the Neighborhood Grill and choice of dining options and locations; “Every Bite Counts” which provides fortified meals for residents as opposed to just using dietary supplements for nutritional intake; weekly Chef Stage Center demonstrations on the neighborhoods; special meals every Wednesday, and monthly neighborhood candlelight dinners for residents and their family members in the Barco Chapel. To ensure quality, the team participates in weekly huddles with all dietary staff to provide direction in expectations, training, communication and customer service as well as educational programs like periodic Wesbury staff Lunch and Learns. The Sodexo Team also supports the greater Meadville community by hosting their “Fill the Cart” food drive and sending all of their leftover food to St. James Haven temporary men’s shelter.

“It takes our entire staff to make this designation a reality,” says Barb. “I am proud of everyone on our team for the hard work they do. The on-site Sodexo Team may manage, but the level of exceptional service we are providing the residents and their families’ falls squarely on the quality of work provided by all of our Grace Dietary staff. This great distinction is accredited
to all of us!”

According to Sodexo, Showcase Accounts are managed by a team who fully understands and is dedicated to all of the programs, systems, and tools available to them. The Grace Dietary Team at Wesbury has shown how they excel at bringing them to the residents and visitors at Grace.