A number of frontline health care employees in North Texas will now be able to shop for groceries right at work. Children's Health in Dallas and seven Medical City Healthcare locations are stocking mini-stores on site.
Children's Health opened a pop-up grocery store in partnership with 7-Eleven at its Dallas hospital.
The store includes not only food, but also necessities like toilet paper and diapers. It's set up inside a meeting room and open to staff and patient families.
"It's very hard to be a healthcare worker in COVID-19 [...] It's just the basics so their life is a little bit easier and a little bit safer," said Keri Kaiser, chief marketing and experience officer with Children's Health.
For Geneva Burnap, the store exceeded her expectations. She is an emergency nurse and the senior director for emergency services.
"I was just shocked that it could be done," she said.
On Wednesday, officials at Medical City Healthcare announced that seven of its hospitals in North Texas have opened “mini grocery stores," for staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first store opened April 6.
North Texas hospitals stock mini-grocery stores for frontline workers
Medical City Healthcare says the new service is in hopes of providing a safe option for workers to secure grocery items with ease.
Medical City Dallas, Medical City Denton, Medical City Frisco, Medical City Lewisville, Medical City McKinney, Medical City North Hills and Medical City Plano are among the hospitals providing the new shopping service for its staff.
The mini grocery stores include items such as fresh produce, bread, meat, and dairy products.
Workers are able to purchase items a-la-carte or box orders that can be ordered and picked up at the end of their shift, according to the hospital.
Jenifer Tertel, the Medical City Healthcare regional vice president of human resources, says providing this option will allow staff to secure food necessities with ease and allows them to spend more time with their families.
"Caring for and protecting our caregivers is an essential part of our emergency response in any situation and I’m proud of our resourceful team for finding innovative ways to support each other," Tertel said.
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