Seton Southwest Hospital aims to add seating for patients and staff as well as a renovated kitchen to its campus as part of a new cafeteria campaign, which launched in April.[/caption]
Seton Southwest Hospital visitors could have access to a cafeteria and improved kitchen in a few years if the health care organization’s new three-year campaign to raise approximately $1 million is successful.
The Seton Hays Foundation kicked off the effort at its spring fundraiser and has collected more than $63,000 as of June, fundraising Co-chairwoman Terry Lord said.
The hospital has a small kitchen that is used to prepare meals for patients. Mary Faria, Seton Southwest vice president and chief operating officer, said when Seton Southwest was first built it was intended as a freestanding ambulatory surgical center and the decision was made to postpone building a cafeteria. Faria said the hospital often hears that patients and their visitors would like to have more options.
“Cafeterias are very beneficial to especially families and visitors. It will allow us to be able to expand what we can offer our patients,” she said. “… It’s amazing what our staff can do with that tiny kitchen, but with a full cafeteria comes a full kitchen as well.”
The goal of the campaign is to raise enough money to renovate the building and make better use of existing space to add a full-sized kitchen, including full-sized ovens, a walk-in cooler and a freezer, Lord said.
An area near the kitchen that is currently not being used would be renovated as well, and tables would be brought in to provide seating for about 35 people, according to preliminary designs.
Kirsten Howren, fundraising co-chairwoman, said the plan to remodel existing space to serve as the cafeteria would go a long way toward helping not only patients and their families, but also hospital staff.
“As patients and staff go in there on a daily basis, they are having to bring their own food accommodations into the hospital. There is a small gift shop that provides deli sandwiches, but for doctors who are there 24 hours a day delivering babies … by opening up this kitchen it would allow them to have better habits.”
Seton anticipates the campaign will be completed by April 2018. Once funding is approved, the project could take an estimated four months to complete, providing one month to finish designs, one month for pricing and permitting, and two months for construction and commissioning. Lord noted there is an opportunity to name the cafeteria for a significant donor.
More information is available at the Seton Hays Foundation website, www.setonhaysfoundation.org.
