About Us

Our Story

Practical Hospital Services is a certified women owned business founded in 2006 with a simple but meaningful mission: to deliver better and more reliable products within the healthcare system. We focused on solutions that support clinicians, aides in patients healing, and uphold the highest standards of quality, safety, and compliance. 

While backpacking through the Sierra Nevadas in California, we set up camp and shared a delicious freeze-dried meal that consisted of Chili, cinnamon apple slices and fresh water from the nearby stream. As we ate, a question lingered: Why doesn’t emergency food in healthcare feel like this? Once we arrived back to civilization we decided to partner up with hospital dieticians to see if we can create a program that is easy to follow, nutritionally based emergency meal program. From there, the Medi-Meal Emergency Meal Program was formed.

We started to look around in the market place to see what already existed and what was missing. We worked diligently with a certified dietitian that at the time worked in a California hospital. She knew what the surveyors were looking for, the amount of time and effort it took to manage rotation of regular supplies, as well as what was missing in the programs currently in the market place. Our backpacking skills brought to the table a reliable sense of what’s needed during an emergency only being able to use the resources available to us and the bare minimum amount of supplies. With these two backgrounds, we were able to create a program that is regulatory compliant, while making it easy for anyone to be able to set up, prepare and distribute under a stressful situation. 

Using #10 cans with a 25-year shelf life allowed us the opportunity to provide the best tasting, easy to prepare and longest shelf life currently on the market place today.  We developed a fully certified, regulatory-compliant emergency meal solution designed specifically for healthcare environments. This includes instructions in 3 languages, tray tickets for deployment, Allergen chart, menus for specialty diets such as regular, cardiac, carb control and renal diets. As well as providing instructions on preparing our menus for different texture modifications, including purees.  Medi-Meal is easy to use, reliable in any situation, and is equipped to support specialty diets and texture modifications. The Medi-Meal program ensures patients receive safe, appropriate nutrition even during emergencies. Because in moments of uncertainty, a warm meal isn’t just sustenance—it’s reassurance.

While assisting with preparing any size of healthcare facility in remote, rural or urban areas for an emergency food, our goal is to Plan, Do, Check and Act. Plan to have an easy to use program that does not need to be rotated often, can be used without a stove or heating elements and limited staffing. During any emergency, the facility should prepare for employee absences and lack of assistance. That is why it is crucial that anyone can follow the program without being a dietitian or working in food services. Do, purchase a longer shelf life emergency food option that is nutritionally sufficient for patients. Save money over the shelf life of the food. There is a small chance that you’ll never need it, however if you do, it will be ready to bring comfort during a time of need. Once the program is in place, Check on the policy at least on an annual basis. Check inventory to make sure the census has not increased, that no one has removed the product from the storage location and that all employees, old and new, have been trained on how to prepare the food, where the food is stored and what to do based on the scenario. We also recommend performing a mock mass feeding exercise drill, so you can find where the missing loopholes and communication may be within your team. Lastly, Act, once you see where the loopholes are, create an action plan on what needs to happen to fix those communication errors, so when a real disaster hits everyone is confident on what needs to happen. 

A Legacy of Service and Preparedness

Over 20 years we have worked closely with hospitals, long-term care facilities, senior living communities, and institutional partners who understand that preparing for any type of emergency is critical.

Great tasting nutritious food plays an important role in patient care healing and staff endurance. The Medi-Meal Emergency meal team is committed to continuing to create, develop and support our customers by addressing the gaps within the healthcare community with a dependable, long shelf life solution that organizations can trust.

Looking Ahead

When a natural disaster, supply chain disruptions or global uncertainties occur, the need for a long term emergency meal program has never been greater. Our Medi-Meal team remains dedicated to supporting healthcare systems and institutions with solutions that bring comfort, nutrition and longer stable shelf life options.

The Medi-Meal 25-Year Shelf Life Emergency Meal Program represents that preparedness can meet all state and federal regulations, while being great tasting, reliable, and built to last. Because when an emergency happens, feeling prepared and having fewer tasks to worry about makes all the difference.

Our Commitment

Preparedness is a responsibility that all healthcare facilities need to take seriously. We are proud that the Medi-Meal program supports the organizations that protect, care for, and serve others every day. Through the Medi-Meal Emergency Meal Program, we remain committed to helping all healthcare facilities and communities stay ready, strong, and confident for decades to come.

Easy to store in limited or secured spaces

Great tasting food with every bite

Simple to prepare, even with minimal resources
Consistent and reliable in quality and nutrition
Suitable for large scale deployment

Let us help you assess your needs to build a reliable emergency food and water program tailored to your facility’s individual needs and budget. We offer a free consultation to review how we can best serve your healthcare facility and patients or resident population based on available space and budget. 

Medi-Meal delivers what’s needed most in an emergency: an easy-to-use program, with a long shelf life and a spoonful of comfort.