Online Discussions

Align Clinical, Operational, and Support Services to Improve Patient Throughput
Dante Alassane, EVS and Linen Director, Sutter Medical Center

Joint Commission Audit Experiences
Glenda Wright, Senior Director Operations, Tampa General Hospital

July 16, 2026

Effective Benchmarking
Brad Itzkowitz, Director of Food Service Operations, UNC Health demonstrated how benchmarking can help you get the resources your department needs. Sample labor tracking workbook included.

September 17, 2026

Scheduling and Staffing Support Services at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Kenyetta Keys, VP Hospital Operations

November 12, 2026

December 3, 2026

Curt Melhorn, Director of Food & Nutrition Services

Past First Thursdays

November 6, 2025

Boosting Employee Satisfaction
Members from Ann & Robert Lurie Children's of Chicago told us about their methods of collecting feedback, including use of Peakon for pulse taking.

October 2, 2025

Prioritization in Central Transport
Our transport departments move a dizzying array of people and commodities. How do we prioritize moves and execute according to plan? 

September 11, 2025

Construction Projects
Many HSSF member systems are managing construction projects. In this session, participants will tell about their projects. John Krolicki, VP Facilities and Support Services, UPMC, will start us off by describing a major tower project nearing completion.

August 7, 2025

Summer Open Forum
Come with the question or topic of your choice to explore with your peers. Starter: How is your health system dealing with uncertainty in federal funding, and how does it affect your planning?

July 3,2025

Postponed to September 11

June 5, 2025

Managing Outsourced Service Providers
What can we do to get the most from our outsourced service providers in food service, EVS, transport, and other operations? 

Discussion

May 1, 2025

Outsource or Self Op?
Jason Silk, VP Support Services, UHS  discussed his work evaluating the outsource vs self op decision. 

Presentation and discussion

April 3, 2025

Sustainability at Boston Medical Center
David Maffeo, Executive Director Support Services and Sustainability discussed Boston Medical Center's sustainability efforts, with emphasis on its Nourishing Our Community program.

Presentation and discussion

March 6, 2025

Layered Security: Strategies to Protect Patients, Staff, and Visitors
Mike McCabe, Director of Security, Long Island, Jewish Medical Center, Cohens Children’s Medical Center, and Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell System, will kick off our discussion.

Presentation and discussion

February 6, 2025

Designing Teams to Balance Workloads
Discussion: How can we organize to more easily deal with swings in workloads and staff shortages? 

Discussion

January 9, 2025

Managing a Construction Project
Nathan Barbo, VP Operations at MedStar, and his team present and lead a discussion about a recent construction project.

Presentation and discussion

December 5, 2024

Using Vizient and Other Benchmarking Services
How can you use benchmarking databases to improve performance without suffering the apples-to-oranges comparison trap?

Discussion

November 7, 2024

Preparing for and Surviving Hurricanes Helene and Milton
In a repeat of a conference session, Glenda Wright from Tampa General and other support services leaders from Florida health systems told us about their experiences with the storms.

Presentation and discussion

October 3, 2024

Climate-Smart Healthcare
Diane Imrie, University of VT Health Network, spoke about her strategic sustainability plan.

Presentation and discussion

September 11, 2024

Community Partnerships - Links to Recruiting and Retention
How can partnering with community organizations contribute to more stable staffing? The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center provided multiple examples from across their system.

Presentation and discussion

The Future of Service Response
Overview of Cleveland Clinic's service response center, followed by discussion.

Discussion

Dashboard Design
Discussion of how members build and use KPI dashboards. Presentations by UCLA and City of Hope.

Discussion

Patient and Customer Feedback
How do we collect and process eal-time feedback on support services performance? Tim Woodward of Montefiore and his team shared their approach.

Presentation and discussion

EVS Staffing
Members talked with each other about how they plan staffing levels, assign associates, and set performance goals.

Discussion

Transport Staffing and Deployment
A member asked we discuss the challenges of staffing levels, sector assignments, reporting ratios, and appropriate turnaround time targets.

Discussion

Sustainability and Waste Management
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has a top-notch sustainability program with waste management as a central pillar. Shane Dunne, Associate Director, Sustainability, presented.

Presentation and discussion

Laundry Study Planning
HSSF will coordinate a collaborative study of laundry management practices. Participants discussed data and topics they'd like to see collected.

Discussion

Talking Trash: KPIs and Management Hacks
Participants discussed their waste management practices and the need for examples to learn from.

Discussion

FNS Technology at Johns Hopkins
Presentation by Angelo Mojica, VP Food and Culinary Services

Presentation and discussion

Engage the Community with Art
Bring local color to your workspaces

Presentation and discussion

Go-To Metrics and Indicators
What metrics and indicators do you rely on? Daily, monthly, quarterly, annually?

Member discussion. Examples of dashboards.

Laundry and Linen Management Practices
Registrants submitted in advance questions for others to answer about management practices.

Member discussion

Managing Across Organizational Boundaries
How we communicate and coordinate among departments, across facilities, and up and down in our organizations. Simone Frerk presented UPMC's approach.

Member case study and discussion

Managing Suppliers and Supply Chain Costs
We're all trying to hold the line on our budgets and FTEs in the face of rising costs. Matt Thompson, System Director for Support Services, UCHealth told us about their approach.

Facilitated member discussion

Service Level Agreements
SLAs formalize the understanding of services to be delivered by support services departments and the internal customers receiving them. Who's using SLAs? How well do they work? How do you put them into practice? Participants discussed their experiences.

Facilitated member discussion

Dealing with First Year Turnover
Turnover rates among frontline workers is high, especially in their first year. Members compared their experiences with turnover and discussed approaches to reducing it.

Facilitated member discussion

Solutions for Tech-Challenged Employees
We continue to implement new and exciting mobile apps that enhance productivity and make work lives easier. But it's not easy for our associates with limited access to or familiarity with technology. How do we reduce these barriers?

Facilitated member discussion

2023 Support Services Priorities
2022 was a trying year. What do we need and want to accomplish in 2023? Participants talked about their priorities and plans.

Facilitated member discussion

Patient Service Request Technologies
From QR codes to patient video, new technologies are enabling patients to request services and get information.

Facilitated member discussion

Personnel Safety and Security
In the light of recent acts of violence against healthcare workers, HSSF members talk about security measures and how to alleviate employees concerns about their safety.

Facilitated member discussion

Keepers of the House
Dr. Neil Prose screens his documentary about EVS workers talking about their relationships with patients. 

Showing of film and discussion

More with Less
Hospital finances are under intense pressure. How are support services leaders responding?

Facilitated member discussion

Electric Hospital
Sustainability in new campus construction

Facilitated member discussion with introduction by Joe Brothman, Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Director, UC Irvine Health

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Joint Commission Encounters
What has The Joint Commission been emphasizing in surveys? How do we prepare for them?

Facilitated member discussion with introduction by Nidal Alammarri, Assistant Director for Clinical Engineering, UCLA Health

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Memorable Moments
Simple gestures front-line workers can make to delight patients

Facilitated member discussion with introduction by James Gramstad, Director Support Services, NewYork-Presbyterian

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From Support Services to the C-Suite
How do support services leaders rise to the highest levels of health system management?

Joanne Marqusee, Chief Integration Officer, Tufts Medicine
Diana Richardson, Chief Operations Officer, Tufts Medical Center

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Support Services Outlook
What priorities and objectives do support services leaders have for 2022 and beyond?

Facilitated discussion among members

What Makes a Great Training Program? How do we help our employees thrive, from onboarding to survival to personal growth?

Gary Colpaert, VP Clinical and Support Services, Froedtert Hospital
Brian Rosenberg, Senior Operations Manager, EVS, Froedtert Hospital

Application of Automation to Support Services
Discussion of ways technology can enhance support services operations

From Trauma to Growth: Skills to Develop Resilience in the Workplace

Sustainability at UCLA Health
UCLA Health’s anchor institution commitment, climate resiliency and justice strategies, as well as its leading reusable isolation gowns program and other zero waste initiatives.

James Evans, Sustainability Programs Manager, UCLA Health
Victor Mitry, Assistant Director Logistics, UCLA Health

Standardizing Support Services Performance Across a System
UCHealth's initiative to implement common practices, policies, performance measures, and governance.

Rob Portwood, System VP of Support Services, UCHealth
Lajvanthi Sudhakar, Business Manager Support Services, UCHealth

Visions for the Future of Food and Nutrition Services
Speakers share their views and plans.