Meet Linh Schmelling, STHS’s room service superstar

Newsroom

Newsroom

Search News

Search
More Filters

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

News

Share this page

Meet Linh Schmelling, STHS’s room service superstar

Mike Scott, mscott@stph.org

One in a series of stories spotlighting unsung heroes in St. Tammany Health System ranks who quietly make a difference every day.

When she’s not staffing the phones, St. Tammany Health System Room Service Specialist Linh Schmelling is  doing last-minute checks on patients’ orders right before they’re sent up to their room, just to make sure any special needs have been properly addressed. (Photo by Tim San Fillippo / STHS)

Linh Schmelling doesn’t like the spotlight. She’s not a fan of cameras. None of that is why she does what she does.

Rather, the longtime room service specialist in St. Tammany Health System’s Food and Nutrition Services Department does it for a much more selfless reason.

“The patients,” the self-described “people person” said when asked what motivates her every day. “They make any day special.”

Anyone who has ever stayed at the health system’s Covington hospital has probably spoken with Linh at some point. Hers is one of the cheerful voices that answers the phone – hundreds of times every day – when someone calls for room service dining.

Of course, given that it’s a hospital, she does more than simply enter meal orders. She makes menu suggestions based on a patient’s diet order. She also does what she can to lift spirits.

And when she’s not staffing the phones, she’s doing last-minute checks on patients’ meal orders right before they’re sent up to their room, just to make sure any special needs have been properly addressed.  

“Linh is what I consider a core colleague,” STHS’s Director of Food and Nutrition Services Joanna Wilbanks said. “She has that special skill set and dedication that’s essential to operations and growth of the department. We can always count on her to be there for us and with us, whatever we need.

“She treats everyone like they’re her only patient. You should hear her on the phone,” Wilbanks added. “She gets really excited for patients when they tell her they are going home. She always follows up with ‘Thank you for choosing St. Tammany Health System.’”

Linh smiles when she hears that kind of talk. “It’s a wonderful team to work with, to be a part of,” she said.

She doesn’t linger on it, though. There are phones to be answered. Orders to be filled.

“Room Service Dining, this is Linh. How may I help you?”

Featured Videos

Video

Get in the Game with St. Tammany UNITED

As October draws to an end, it’s incredible how swiftly time has passed! Today, we celebrated the many achievements of our...

Friday, Nov 1, 2024

Video

Get in the Game with St. Tammany UNITED

As October draws to an end, it’s incredible how swiftly time has passed! Today, we celebrated the many achievements of our...

Friday, Nov 1, 2024

Video

Community Checkup with Joan Coffman for October 2024

As the calendar changes from October to November, President and CEO Joan Coffman catches you up on all that’s going on at...

Thursday, Oct 31, 2024

Video

Community Checkup with Joan Coffman for October 2024

As the calendar changes from October to November, President and CEO Joan Coffman catches you up on all that’s going on at...

Thursday, Oct 31, 2024

Video

Pink Partner profile: Timeless Touch

Meet Brittani Naccari Farrell, Owner/Injector of Timeless Touch Medical Aesthetics in downtown Covington. We are thrilled...

Monday, Oct 28, 2024

Video

Pink Partner profile: Timeless Touch

Meet Brittani Naccari Farrell, Owner/Injector of Timeless Touch Medical Aesthetics in downtown Covington. We are thrilled...

Monday, Oct 28, 2024

Connect