HHS Partnership

Uvalde Memorial Hospital has announced their decision to partner with Hospital Houskeeping Systems (HHS) and Culinary Nutrition Solutions (CNS), a division of HHS, to enhance the hospital’s current nutritional and environmental services departments with custom programs. The decision was made following board approval on April 22.

Based out of Austin, HHS has been providing support services in the health care industry for more than 39 years, offering customizable, packaged, or individual solutions to improve hospital operations for efficiency, cost, and a more positive patient experience. Their hospitality programs have a proven track record of directly impacting customer satisfaction scores: the average HHS partner improved their Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores by 7 percent in year one and 14.2 percent over four years. A leader in the industry, the company has extensive experience and has grown to provide environmental services for more than 275 healthcare communities nationwide. The HHS culinary and nutrition team was named a 2013 Top 50 Contract Management Company by Food Services Magazine.
In 2010, HHS expanded to include CNS, a division which provides locally-sourced and organic, high-quality food service options to hospital patients across the nation and was named a “company to watch” by Food Service Magazine. They serve dozens of hospitals across the nation that range in size and scope from rural critical access hospitals to urban, 500+ bed medical centers.
“We are pleased to be a part of this exciting transition,” said Ted Peters, Vice President of Operations at CNS. “On behalf of HHS, we look forward to a successful, long-term partnership.”
Head Chef and director Jason Leslie is joining Uvalde after serving as director at Baton Rouge General Hospital. Prior experience includes his role as the Banquet Chef at the Ritz Carlton in Boston, and Food Service Director at Southern Oaks Athletic Club, where he managed all food service operations and redesigned the menu and retail offerings to include a weekly wellness feature that improved patient satisfaction. Leslie is the recipient of a National Defense Service Medal and Air Force Training Ribbon and served as a Tactical Aircraft Maintainer for the United States Air Force in Texas. He enjoys hunting, fishing, playing tennis, and spending time with his family.
Over a six month time span the hospital’s environmental and nutritional services will undergo changes. A remodel of the kitchen will enable nutritional staff to work more effectively and efficiently. Food options will be expanded for patients and visitors to the Green Tree Café. Each patient within the hospital will be represented by a food ambassador from the nutritional department who serves as an advocate for the patient’s daily dietary needs. 
The decision to partner with the specialty company was driven by the heightened focus on quality of patient care and HCAHPS scores initiated by the Affordable Care Act. The transition was also based on the desire to provide the highest cleanliness and infection control practices possible for environmental and nutritional services within the hospital. 
HHS manages programs for healthcare facilities focused on one thing:  total customer satisfaction.  HHS’s intention is to focus efforts on improving outcomes and provide enhanced training and guidance by the highly skilled HHS management staff. Hospital staff within the environmental and nutritional departments will remain employed by Uvalde Memorial Hospital while management staff will be employed through Hospital Housekeeping Systems.