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Healthcare On Demand: Chris O’Brien of LIJ Valley Steam Hospital on supporting local restaurants

Northwell Health LIJ Valley Steam Hospital is launching a Small Business Rescue Initiative that will have local restaurants provide food for its doctors lounge and special events.

Mike Buzalka, Executive Features Editor

December 13, 2021

FM On Demand and Healthcare On Demand are video interviews with onsite dining professionals who talk about creative and interesting initiatives they have developed or undertaken.

Hospitals are integral parts of the communities they serve, and at no time has that mission been more critical than during the recent pandemic. One role that has become increasingly important—other than the provision of healthcare services—is to serve as an economic hub supporting local businesses by purchasing products and services from nearby vendors as much as possible.

At Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital, that role is being taken one step further with its Small Business Rescue Initiative that will support local restaurants by purchasing food for its doctors lounge and in-house special events from them. This not only helps struggling local businesses but also the in-house dining team, which can now concentrate on its core role of providing patient meals and retail dining services to staff.

In this FM On Demand interview, Chris O’Brien, associate executive director of financial operations at the hospital and the originator of the Small Business Rescue Initiative, talks about how and why he came up with it, how it will work and how it benefits everyone involved.

About the Author

Mike Buzalka

Mike Buzalka

Executive Features Editor, Food Management

Mike Buzalka is executive features editor for Food Management and contributing editor to Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News. On Food Management, Mike has lead responsibility for compiling the annual Top 50 Contract Management Companies as well as the K-12, College, Hospital and Senior Dining Power Players listings. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from John Carroll University. Before joining Food Management in 1998, he served as for eight years as assistant editor and then editor of Foodservice Distributor magazine. Mike’s personal interests range from local sports such as the Cleveland Indians and Browns to classic and modern literature, history and politics.

Mike Buzalka’s areas of expertise include operations, innovation and technology topics in onsite foodservice industry markets like K-12 Schools, Higher Education, Healthcare and Business & Industry.

Mike Buzalka’s experience:

Executive Features Editor, Food Management magazine (2010-present)

Contributing Editor, Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News (2016-present)

Associate Editor, Food Management magazine (1998-2010)

Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1997-1998)

Assistant Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1989-1997)

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