Dignity Health Mercy and Memorial hospitals to launch on-site grocery store for staff

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Both Mercy and Memorial hospitals will be launching an on-site grocery store at their facilities to help their employees and staff.

The hospitals are teaming up with Samco Food Stores and Grimmway Farms to help stock the stores.

The stores will have items such as eggs, milk, cheese, fresh produce, bread, condiments, chips, cereal, pasta, sauces, soups, and other essential food and household items as available.

The goal is to provide families and staff with a place to shop for items that may be hard to find in other stores.

“We know that our entire community is challenged with finding needed items on grocery store shelves, but for our nurses, physicians, and other care providers, the ability to find anything they might need is made worse by the long hours they are working,” said Robin Mangarin-Scott, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Dignity Health Central California in a news release. “We hope this small gesture of kindness allows them to buy what they need, as quickly as possible, so they can go home to get the rest they need to continue to heal our community one patient at a time.”

The Mercy and Memorial Markets will be open to employees during regular cafeteria business hours seven days a week.