GlobeNewswire Inc | Mar 24, 2021 09:00AM EDT

March 24, 2021

Hershey, Pa., March 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sodexo, a leader in food servicesand facilities management, announced today the companys partnership with PennState Health, a multi-hospital health system serving patients and communities across central Pennsylvania. Thelong-term, enterprise-wide agreementincludes food services aimed at enhancing patient,staffand visitorsexperience for the entire health system. The change iseffective immediately,with a grand opening at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Centerslated forMay 22, 2021. Sodexo Healthcare is proudtocontribute to enhancingpatient outcomes through clinical nutrition expertise at Penn State Health campuses,said Catherine J. Tabaka, CEO for Sodexo Healthcare North America. Through thisstrategicpartnership,well puthospitality at the forefront of patient service, helpingto customize care experiences. Penn State Health ismoving toSodexo asa single vendortoprovide standardization and efficiencies system-wide whilesupportingits food servicesoperations, including patientnutrition,retail services such as cafeterias, Starbucks and Au Bon Pain (on the Hershey Medical Center campus), catering,and vending.Sodexo will delivernutritious andhealthy options for patients, guests, and staff in addition tocustomizedhospitality initiatives createdwith thepatientexperience top of mind.

The changebrought by Sodexo, which should appear seamless to patients, visitors,and staff, will increase long-term cost-effectiveness for the organization and provide an improved, consistent customer experience at food services locations and programs across the system. Through this process,theMilton S. Hershey Medical Center will transition their patient dining program to a hotel style room service model, a proven patient satisfier. The program is delivered withHealthTouchtechnology,a state-of-the-artdiet software system designed to enhance the foodordering and tracking experience while ensuringcompliance with prescribed diet orders and restrictions.Thepatientexperience isenhancedby Experiencia,Sodexosproprietaryinsights platformthat enablesteams touniquelyaddresseach patients needsalong their care journey, leveragingpredictivedataand real-time insights.

About Sodexo North America

At Sodexo Healthcare we build trusted partnerships with health systems to support their care delivery mission. Leveraging science,insightsand imagination, we provide solutions and contribute essential non-clinical services wherever care is delivered, to enhance patients and caregivers experience while improving our clients financial health. Sodexo Healthcares 35,000 employees provide human-centered care with food and nutrition, environmental and clinical engineering services that support healthcare teams and overall operations at over 1,500 sites in the United States.

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 72 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 160,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states andCanada, and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $19 billion in goods and services from small to large businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., in 2019, Sodexo contributed over 151,500 in volunteer hours, and since 1996, the Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed nearly $34.5 million to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visitus.sodexo.com,and connect with us onFacebook,Instagram,LinkedIn,TwitterandYouTube.

Heidi BullmanSodexoHeidi.Bullman@sodexo.com