(Above photo, L to R) Barbara Conn (Senior Vice President -TouchPoint Support Services), Rick DeRedita (Regional Vice President Operations- TouchPoint Support Services), Mark Samikkannnu (Senior Director -Nutrition Services St Thomas Rutherford), Mike Augustine (Division President - TouchPoint Support Services), Jim Hesemann (Senior Director -Environmental Services St Thomas Rutherford), Elizabeth Lemons (COO, Saint Thomas Rutherford), Gordon B. Ferguson (President and CEO, Saint Thomas Rutherford)

The Food and Nutrition Services and Environmental Services department at Murfreesboro's St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital has received a Center for Excellence award from the Compass Group.

Compass Group is a world-class provider of contract food service and support services. Since the initiative's development in 2001, only 90 Centers for Excellence have been recognized across the globe. These Centers for Excellence are premier accounts chosen for their exceptional hospitality, outstanding teams and learning opportunities.

Hospital President and CEO Gordon Ferguson said, "It is a great honor for our hospital to be recognized as a Center for Excellence. Our mission to provide the best possible care for all extends beyond strictly clinical operations and into every aspect of the Saint Thomas Health experience. This acknowledgement reflects the type of commitment with which we serve our patients and their families on a daily basis."

Saint Thomas Rutherford's Food and Nutrition Services and Environmental Services departments are employed through TouchPoint Support Services. TouchPoint Support Services, a member of Compass Group, is the industry's first combined acute care and senior care food service and support services provider. By combining both food and support services, TouchPoint employees are able to offer patients with a comprehensive hospitality experience.

Following an extensive, three-year process to implement and meet all standards, Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital's location is the first in TouchPoint nationally, the first within Ascension and only the second in the overall healthcare industry to receive the distinctive Center for Excellence title.