Support Services Quest at Tampa General Hospital
HSSF's 18th conference
In April 2026, 60 support services leaders from Tampa General and around the country met at Tampa General Hospital for three days to hear from their host, learn from each other, and enjoy each other’s company. They oversee EVS, food and nutrition, patient transport, laundry and linen, facilities, security, supply chain, and other non-clinical departments. Systems represented, in addition to Tampa General, included Advocate Health, New York-Presbyterian, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Montefiore, MedStar, Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson, Sutter Health, UNC, Wisconsin Children’s, and UCHealth.
Theme and Participant Feedback
This year’s theme was Quest: The Active Pursuit of Innovation, from the Basement to the Bedside, reflecting our relentless search for new ways to deliver operational excellence in support of care for patients. I enjoyed it immensely, but maybe I’m biased, so here are some attendees’ comments:
“I really liked the sessions on culture and engagement. The fireside chat on Wednesday [with TGH CEO John Couris] was phenomenal.”
“I found the sessions very insightful and walked away with several great takeaways.”
“I was inspired by the many support services leaders who shared innovative ideas, best practices, and real-world strategies that are moving our industry forward.”
“The whole experience was amazing!”
Authenticity, Kindness, Transparency, and Vulnerability, with Inspiration from the Top
We were energized by host Glenda Wright’s engaging interview of John Couris, President and CEO of the Florida Health Sciences Center (FHSC) | Tampa General, which comprises a portfolio of organizations, including Tampa General Hospital. John spoke with passion of the organizational values he believes are necessary to deliver excellence; values we all want to believe in, but sometimes feel get compromised in large organizations, like being authentic at work, going beyond merely being nice to being truly kind – to all humans we encounter, and, being transparent and vulnerable. John is a leader who puts his people first, knowing that doing so will in turn best serve patients. Over the three days with Glenda Wright and her team, it was clear TGH is well on its way to living John’s values. If you'd like to hear more, you can listen to John Couris’ TedX talk and be similarly inspired.
Three Days of Support Services Immersion
Although not the explicit goal, this year’s presentations and discussion ventured into both the heart and the head – the link between culture and operating results. Here are a few of the areas we explored.
Schwartz Grand Rounds: A highlight of the conference was participation in TGH’s Schwartz Grand Rounds, a grand rounds-style gathering with focus on a case or theme related to the emotional impact of patient care that team members may experience. Once a month, all staff at TGH, clinical and non-clinical, are invited. Day 1 of our conference included participation in TGH's Schwartz Grand Rounds in which support services staff told stories of deep connections they have formed with patients in the course of their daily work. Three HSSF members (Megan Lumley, VP Support Services, UNC Health; Curt Melhorn, Director, Food services, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital; and Ken Grant, retired healthcare executive) participated in a "Storyteller" panel alongside TGH team members, which was followed by a facilitated open discussion with shared experiences from audience members.
Innovation: Our first exploration of innovation began with a visit to Tampa General’s Innovation Center, where we heard from TGH’s Director of Innovation, John Swoboda, who told us about his organization’s search for innovations for investment and adoption. The Center also houses its mock ups of the patient room of the future and hospital room at home. Other innovation topics included design features for TGH’s in-process Taneja Tower, AI applications in performance management, an app to communicate real-time patient feedback, and dining solutions tailored for specific populations.
Patient Experience: We heard from Lara Zamajtuk, AVP Operations, about how University of Florida Health created a multidisciplinary team of clinical and non-clinical staff to design and implement a holistic plan to improve patient satisfaction, as measured by HCAHPS scores. Kenyetta Keys, VP Operations at MedStar, described a comprehensive reassessment of their patient dining program with a “Food is Care” vision.
Operating Results: Lijah Lokenauth, TGH SVP Finance, presented his “Leading Through the Financial Climate”, demonstrating how support services impact a hospital’s financial results. A panel of support services leaders and a representative from Vizient discussed use of dashboards to track KPIs, as well as benchmarking to set targets. We speculated that AI will enable traditionally backward-looking performance measurement to evolve into future-looking prescriptive analytics.
Tours, Facilities and Security: Our first tour stops were an off-campus warehouse, community health center, including a food pharmacy.
On-campus, registrants toured the kitchen, Central Energy Plant, Command Center, and Aqua Fence hurricane barrier (TGH is on a low-lying island in an area prone to storms).
Of particular interest in the main building was TGH Eats, a 24-hour grab ‘n go retail outlet employing Amazon’s Just Walk Out contactless checkout technology. Tony Venezia, TGH VP, Public Safety, presented an overview of current and future security management initiatives. Topics discussed were weapons screening in a permitless concealed carry state, body cams, license plate readers, and the K9 program (we met an on-duty canine employee).
Management, Career Development, and Employee Satisfaction: In one of the most heartwarming sessions, Reggie Chatman, TGH Assistant Director Transport and Communications, led a panel of employees who told their stories of how their careers advanced from entry-level employment in transport. This category also featured UPMC’s program with community partners to recruit and train entry level EVS and food and nutrition employees.
Time for Connecting: Despite our tightly packed schedule, attendees found time to relax during two receptions, a dinner, and a boat cruise along the shores of Harbor Island, Downtown Tampa, and the Hillsboro River. TGH's Chef Keefe wowed the crowd with a gourmet lunch and overview of his food service operation.
Conference Hosting Above and Beyond the Call of Duty
I’m always honored when an HSSF member raises their hand to host a conference. Doing so requires a lot of attention to detail, and management time on top of an already busy work schedule. At TGH, Glenda Wright embraced the challenge with enthusiasm and creativity, producing an engaging mix of experiences for her visiting colleagues. Thank you, Glenda. You have raised the bar for future hosts. Thanks also to Trisha Remington, Reggie Chatman, Bella Gigante, Sam Golden, Isabel Henson, and a generous supporting team. You all bring to life your organization’s values.
I also want to express my appreciation for our sponsors – Leading Sponsors Aramark Healthcare+, Medama, and Med-Stat; Founding Sponsor Amazon Just Walk Out; and Contributing Sponsors dormakaba, Daniels Health, and Stryker. Finally, thanks to Carrie Kuempel, our VP Member Services, and - full disclosure - my wife, whose special touches help keep our conferences about human connection.
Stay tuned for announcements about our next conference. Free registration is a benefit of being an HSSF member. If you’re not a member and would like to learn more, contact me.
Jeff Wickham
Managing Director, HSSF
[email protected]
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