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Currituck’s Dietary Team is 12 Years Deficiency-Free

Currituck’s Dietary Team is 12 Years Deficiency-Free

Oct. 5th, 2022

As we continue celebrating Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week, we wanted to highlight Currituck Health and Rehab’s dietary department for achieving 12 years of zero deficiencies!

We interviewed Deborah White, Certified Dietary Manager at Currituck Health and Rehab, to learn more about this honor and how she leads her team. For a department to be deficiency-free, certain requirements must be met and observed by the state.

Photo of Deborah White, Dietary Manager

“It’s almost unheard of to be deficiency-free in healthcare, especially for 12 years in a row,” White described. “Without my staff, we wouldn’t have achieved this each year. We are a team and I couldn’t do this without them.”

How did you get to where you are today?

White shared a little about her background and how she got to where she is today. White has been working with Saber Healthcare for nearly 17 years.

“I started as a certified nursing assistant and worked in supplies. Then I moved to an assistant in the kitchen,” White said. “I had no background in food, but I eventually took some classes, went to college, and became a certified dietary manager.”

What does your role as a dietary manager involve?

White discussed some of her daily tasks as a dietary manager. She works with new admissions to learn about their food preferences, checks that all the residents are getting proper nutrition, attends meetings, and makes care plans.

“I’ll do anything that needs to be done. And I have to keep my staff happy,” White stated. “I like celebrating them, whether it’s a birthday or another holiday.”

What is your favorite part about your job?

“My favorite part is seeing the smiles on the residents’ faces,” White shared. “They know they can come to the kitchen, ring the bell, and get anything they want. I’m here for the residents!”

White also shared that her favorite meal to make for residents is her homemade Stromboli’s.

How do you manage your team?

White told us that she has 5 cooks on her team and 6 dietary aides. She guides them through the food process and is always available if they need help.

“I treat them with respect and dignity, and they know they can ask me questions at any time,” White shared. “If I see they’re tired, I’ll give them a break. I’ll volunteer to fill in on those days if I see they’re getting burnt out.”

White added that there’s more to a kitchen than people may think, and the team coordinates to get the work done each day.


Photo of Currituck Dietary Team

How did your team achieve 12 years deficiency-free?

For a department to be deficiency-free, certain requirements must be met when the state inspects the community, which typically occurs once a year. Some items the state will check for include sanitation, contamination, and temperatures.

White shared that she has cleaning responsibilities for her team every day and the staff will perform a deep clean every 3 months. She makes sure they’re following the proper sanitation methods to ensure they meet the proper health and safety guidelines.

“You have to have good staff and people who love their job to achieve 12 years deficiency-free,” White said. “I truly believe that if you treat your staff with respect and dignity and say thank you, it keeps them going. My team knows that they have a manager that appreciates them.”

Do you have advice for others in the dietary field in healthcare?

White shared some advice for other dietary workers in the healthcare field.

“Stay strong. Be helpful. Always train your staff well and make sure they know what to do,” White stated.

How is your team celebrating Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week?

White was excited to share her plans to celebrate her team for Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week. They have a fun-filled week with different themes and activities each day.

“We’ll have pajama day, decades day, mismatched day, hat day, and fall colors day,” White said. “We’ll do different activities ranging from a potluck, making candied apples, ice cream sundaes, and fun games. I’m also making homemade chili and cornbread!”

White said she tries to do different activities each year to celebrate while incorporating some educational activities for her team.

Saber Healthcare Celebrates Our Dietary Teams

Saber Healthcare is proud to celebrate our dietary teams this week for all they do each and every day. Thank you to White and her team, along with all our dietary teams across communities, for your continued dedication!

Saber Healthcare is an organization that provides services to more than 115 buildings across the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Delaware, and Florida. To learn more about our company and services, click here.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long-term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.