Doing Food Delivery to Hospitals

Hospitals typically have a cafeteria. Some facilities even have restaurants and fast food. However, patients without access to tasty meals may wonder whether they can have food delivered to a hospital.

Can Uber Eats deliver to hospital room patients? Yes, Uber Eats and other food delivery services will deliver to hospitals. However, not all hospitals allow outside food. Here is what you need to know about doing food delivery to hospitals.

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Can Food Be Delivered to a Hospital During COVID?

Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub, Deliveroo, and Just Eat deliver food to hospitals and other businesses. Due to COVID, most of the food delivery apps have new policies for protecting drivers and customers.

COVID policies often include requiring drivers to wear masks and encouraging customers to maintain a distance of at least six feet.

Hospitals have also typically allowed patients to order food or bring in outside food. Yet, policies vary from one hospital to the next. Policies have also changed due to COVID.

For example, in regions with high COVID transmission, hospitals may not allow visitors, including delivery drivers.

Another consideration is the delivery range. Uber Eats and DoorDash limit deliveries to about a five-mile radius. Just Eats prefers to limit deliveries to a two-mile radius.

How to Deliver Food to a Hospital

In most cases, delivery drivers need to stop at the front desk. Delivery drivers are not typically allowed up to the patient’s room. Patients are also not typically allowed to go down to the reception area to pick up the food.

It is the customer’s responsibility to determine whether food is permitted. They should also inform the delivery driver of any special instructions for delivering the food.

Even before COVID, hospitals often discouraged patients from bringing in outside food. Ordering food may take hospital staff away from other tasks, as they then need to deliver the food from the front desk to the patient’s room. Nurses may prefer that the patient has a visitor available to pick up the food from the front desk.

Doctors and nurses may also want to monitor the diet of patients during their stay. Before ordering food, a patient may need to check with their doctor to ensure that it does not interfere with their treatment.

Can Hospital Staff Order Food From Uber Eats?

Yes, hospital staff can order food from Uber Eats, DoorDash, and other food delivery apps. Even during COVID, hospitals and food delivery services want to ensure that frontline workers are adequately fed.

Many hospitals have designated areas for staff to pick up food from delivery services, such as a specific area of the parking lot. As with other types of deliveries, customers should inform drivers of where to go.

DoorDash also launched a program after the start of the pandemic to help support healthcare workers. The program is called Corporate Dashpass. It is only available at hospitals that opt-in to the program.

Staff at hospitals that join Corporate Dashpass can create a membership and get unlimited free deliveries at nearby hospitals for 60 days.

Are You Allowed Alcohol in a Hospital?

The ability to have alcohol delivered to a hospital depends on the hospital’s policies and the delivery service’s policies. Not all food delivery apps deliver alcohol. Uber Eats only delivers alcohol in Florida and select small markets. GrubHub and Just Eat also deliver alcohol in select areas. DoorDash and Deliveroo tend to deliver alcohol in most locations where they operate.

Yet, doctors and nurses are unlikely to allow patients or visitors to consume alcohol in the hospital. Most hospitals in the United States and Canada do not permit alcoholic beverages.

Summary

Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub, and other food delivery apps deliver food to hospitals. Hospitals also typically allow patients to order or receive outside food.

Food is typically permitted, but most hospitals do not allow alcoholic beverages.

So can Uber Eats deliver to hospital room – yes they can if rules are followed.

While most hospitals allow patients to have food delivered, patients and visitors should always check with a nurse or doctor to verify the hospital’s policies. If the hospital permits food, delivery people may need to follow specific protocols.

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For example, many hospitals require drivers to check in at the front desk. Drivers may also need to wear masks due to COVID. If the driver needs to follow any special instructions, the customer should include details when ordering their food.