Q + A

Hear more from our conversation with Barbara in the Q&A section below.

• Can you tell us about a time that you made a positive impact on a patient’s life?

  I had one patient who I called Mr. G. So I was downstairs one day and a group of people came by, a whole family. They said they wanted to see the director. I didn't know who they were but it turns out they were Mr. G's family. They were having an issue, saying that Mr. G wasn’t really eating much. Because Aramark helps us all to be proactive and solve problems for people, I was able to take charge and rearrange some things so that we could get Mr. G the food and nutrition he needed. In the end, we got Mr. G to eat and once he did, he started feeling much better. Suddenly he was smiling and happy, you know. Every morning I went in to visit him and do little things to get him smiling and able to walk out the hospital. To this day, his family sends me notes thanking me and telling me that Mr. G is doing great. That was a very special experience.

• How does impacting patients’ lives help you feel fulfilled in your career at Aramark?

  When it happens, there's a feeling inside of you that you can't explain. But you will know when it happens. When I go upstairs on the floor each morning, I don't know every patient’s story. They don't know my story. But you’re kind to everybody because you just don't know the diagnosis they've been given. A smile means a lot. It warms the heart. It’s why you come in and you're smiling every day. It's also about figuring out how your going to feed all these kids. I remember at one point I took over for someone who was producing the same amount of each food every day, no matter what, which upset me because at the end of the day there would be like 50 pounds of pizza in the garbage. So I took over and said "this is how we're gonna do it now," and lead a team around me to basically figure it out! Eventually the costs at that school went down, the sales went up, and I was told that I did a great job.

• Throughout the pandemic, have you felt safe working at a hospital?

  Absolutely , we all feel very safe at work. Aramark has given us all the equipment that we need; we have all the right PPE and nobody's going to let you be put into a situation where you're going to be exposed to something. Because there's all kinds of information, even if that patient has tested positive, they train you on what to do. So if you know what’s going on inside each patient’s room, then you know what PPE you're supposed to be wearing and all that stuff. I feel very safe working here because they clearly care for their employees.

• How does food and food service play an important part of the recovery process for patients?

  Food service is such an important part of that process. The food really helps them heal. You need both food and medicine working together so patients can get out of the hospital, which is really the goal. Especially with the COVID floor, they can't taste anything. Some of them say ‘why eat?’ So we help them with that because they need the food to nourish their body. So I work with the dietician to come up with something, supplements and stuff like that. You need food to fuel the body. We do a little, a lot. We can do small servings all day long for you, just as long as you eat something. That’s the most important part.

• Are you able to find a good balance between your work and personal life at Aramark?

  Yeah, definitely. When Aramark was awarded the contract at Euclid Hospital, I was a Patient Service Manager. I enjoyed it but, you know, when you're in management, you work a lot of hours. And so I just wanted something hourly, so I could get off at a regular time, so I could be with my family. And at the time, my mom had cancer, so I wanted to be there for her and have a chance to take care of her during her time before she passed. So I needed that time to be with my family. Aramark worked with me to find something that worked with my family needs.