ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 5, 2026--
Patient care continues around the clock, so access to a delicious, nourishing meal should, too.
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Morrison Healthcare has launched its new After-Hours Program, with a new menu to help hospital partners provide safe, high-quality meal options to patients no matter the time of day. The reality of the care journey means that some patients are admitted late, transferred between units, return from an evening procedure or otherwise, causing them to miss a scheduled meal.
Developed in response to feedback from Morrison operators, nursing teams and clinical partners, the program addresses a common challenge across hospitals: Patient needs do not always align with established meal periods.
“Patients deserve food that is thoughtfully prepared, satisfying and enjoyable, regardless of when they need it,” said Chef Stephen Gotthelf, director of culinary innovation for Morrison Healthcare. “Our commitment to a high-quality culinary experience does not end when traditional meal service does. The After-Hours menu allows us to extend that same focus on flavor, quality, and choice to patients at any hour.”
High-Quality Food at Any Hour
After-hours food at a hospital has traditionally focused on simply having something available – think: the familiar turkey sandwich on white bread. Morrison developed the After-Hours menus to move the experience from the expected to the unexpected, with thoughtfully prepared selections such as pork carnitas with cilantro rice and pico de gallo. Each option is designed to meet operational and food-safety requirements while delivering the flavor, variety, and culinary quality patients deserve, no matter the hour.
Depending on the hospital, available selections may include individually packaged hot entrées, sandwiches, salads, and lighter nourishment options. Menus can be tailored to the needs of each location while maintaining a consistent focus on food that is approachable, nutritious, and enjoyable.
“Whether a meal is served at noon or midnight, the details still matter,” Gotthelf said. “We are thinking about flavor, variety, preparation, and how the food will be experienced by the patient. After-hours dining should not feel like an afterthought.”
Morrison’s After-Hours Program provides a consistent foundation that can complement existing services or help hospitals establish a new process. The flexible framework can be adapted to each location’s hours, staffing model, clinical requirements, and operational workflows.
The program provides clear processes for ordering, inventory management, preparation, storage, restocking, and service responsibilities. By defining these processes before implementation, Morrison can help hospital teams offer more dependable after-hours service without creating unnecessary complexity for overnight caregivers.
Supporting Nurses and Clinical Caregivers
Nurses are essential partners in ensuring patients receive appropriate nourishment but identifying and locating suitable meal options after hours can create an additional workload during an already demanding shift.
The After-Hours menus are designed to also support nursing teams with a straightforward process for identifying eligible patients and accessing approved meal selections. Morrison’s teams manage meal preparation, product availability, stocking and food-safety processes, while nursing teams continue to follow each patient’s active diet order and established clinical safeguards.
“Nutrition is an essential part of quality patient care, and patients deserve access to safe, nourishing meal options at any hour,” said Aundrea Mills, Chief Nursing Officer for Compass Healthcare. “Our after-hours meal program gives nurses confidence that appropriate nutrition is always available, allowing them to spend less time solving logistical meal challenges and more time caring for their patients."
Extending Hospitality Beyond Traditional Hours
For a patient arriving through the Emergency Department late at night or returning hungry from a lengthy procedure, a meal can be more than nourishment. It can offer comfort, restore a sense of normalcy, and provide a meaningful moment of hospitality.
“Great healthcare food is about more than meeting a need,” Gotthelf said. “It is about creating something delicious and comforting that helps a patient feel cared for. That commitment should be evident in every meal we serve, no matter the hour.”
The After-Hours Program and new menu are part of Morrison’s broader commitment to reimagining hospitality throughout the patient journey. Alongside specialized experience-focused offerings such as Morrison's Maternity and Pediatric Experience programs, Morrison is responding to the distinct needs and moments patients encounter during a hospital stay.
Morrison Healthcare, a Compass Healthcare company, is a leading provider of healthcare food and nutrition services, serving more than 1,000 hospitals and health systems nationwide.
Morrison Healthcare launches its After-Hours menu to support patient dining. A few examples of menu items from left to right: Thai Chili Chicken & Rice Bowl and Italian Meatball with Penne Pasta.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin said Monday that his 22nd season in the NHL will be his last, beginning the farewell tour for the longtime Washington Capitals captain who holds the league's career goal-scoring record.
Ovechkin addressed teammates to deliver the news before the team posted a message from him on social media.
“It’s sad, but it is what it is,” Ovechkin said in his locker room address. “It’s hard, but let’s enjoy it and let’s do some special things this year.”
Ovechkin signed a one-year contract this past summer and turned 41 on Sept. 17. All signs pointed to this being the end, and he said he and his family decided as much in recent months.
“I love this game so much, but I know in my heart it's the right decision,” the Russian star said in a statement released before the Capitals' home opener Wednesday night.
Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's goals record in April 2025 and entered this season at 929. The front office acquired Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch in trades and signed fellow forward Boone Jenner and defenseman Vincent Desharnais in free agency to add around a young core in the hopes of making another long playoff run and contending for the Stanley Cup.
“Let’s make the playoffs, let’s have fun and enjoy the moment because times fly," Ovechkin told the team. “For young guys who are first year or experienced guys, I remember that moment, and enjoy the time. Because times fly. It seems like yesterday I was here my first year.”
Speaking to reporters later Monday, Ovechkin said this was the right time to announce his decision, two days before the home opener.
“I'm not 20 years old,” he said. “I want to play with my kids when they're growing up. Play hockey, play soccer, play basketball. I want to be healthy enough to do that kind of stuff.”
Ovechkin has spent his entire career with Washington, winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2005-06, the Hart Trophy as MVP three times and leading the NHL in scoring nine times. He was playoff MVP in 2018 when he led the Caps to the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
There's been speculation Ovechkin could receive an unfriendly reception on the road after he appeared in an ad for a party aligned with Vladimir Putin during the offseason. But there wasn't much sign of that during the first two games of the season — at Carolina and at Tampa Bay.
When addressing the fallout from that last month, Ovechkin confirmed he'd be going back to live in Russia when he retired from the NHL.
In Washington's season-opening win over the Hurricanes, Ovechkin had 12 minutes, 46 seconds of ice time, the lowest of his career in a game when he wasn't injured or ejected.
Monday was 21 years to the day after Ovechkin made his debut with the Capitals.
“It's been pretty good career, pretty good 22 seasons,” he said. "Obviously the goal that we have, to bring a Stanley Cup to D.C., we did it.”
Although the Capitals have designs on making the playoffs this season, within a couple hours of Ovechkin's announcement, tickets for Washington's regular-season home finale against Pittsburgh on April 4 were going for a minimum of $825 on StubHub. With D.C. hosting college hockey's Frozen Four next year, the Capitals finish the regular season with three straight road games, wrapping up April 10 at Philadelphia.
The Capitals missed the playoffs in 2025-26, but Ovechkin played all 82 games and scored 32 goals. He’s reached 30 in every season of his career except 2020-21, when he played only 45 games.
Long before he broke through during the Capitals’ Stanley Cup run, Ovechkin had rejuvenated hockey in Washington, and he’ll retire as one of the city’s most accomplished athletes in any sport. The Capitals drafted him No. 1 overall in 2004, and he and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby became stars almost immediately in 2005 when the league emerged from missing a season because of a lockout.
Ovechkin’s combination of goal-scoring skill, physicality and boundless energy made him an instant hit, and he scored a career-high 65 goals in his third season, which earned him the first of his Hart Trophies.
Washington’s penchant for postseason heartache, which existed long before Ovechkin showed up, followed him for a while as well. The Capitals won the Presidents’ Trophy three times with the league’s best regular-season record, falling short in the playoffs each time before a Washington team that merely won its division finally went all the way in the playoffs.
In four postseason meetings between Crosby and Ovechkin — in 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018 — the winner won the Stanley Cup each time. Washington's home opener Wednesday is against Pittsburgh.
See AP’s full NHL coverage here
Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin (74) defends against Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin (8) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) handles the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) looks to shoot against Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) and defenseman Victor Hedman (77) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin watches the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
