Sodexo & Adventist Health Deepen Partnership with $70M Tech-Fueled Deal

NORTH BETHESDA, MD – January 20, 2026 – Sodexo, a global leader in facilities management, has announced a major expansion of its 23-year partnership with Adventist Health, securing a new contract valued at $70 million. The agreement, effective January 1, 2026, will see Sodexo provide advanced environmental services to 15 additional Adventist Health sites across California, Hawaii, and Oregon, bringing the total number of locations served to 26.

This significant expansion is set to create more than 400 new jobs and underscores a deepening strategic alliance between the two organizations. The deal aims to standardize and elevate hygiene and patient comfort across the health system by deploying a suite of cutting-edge technologies and data-driven protocols.

“Our reputation as the healthcare partner of choice played a pivotal role in expanding our partnership with Adventist Health,” said Molly Matthews, CEO of Sodexo Healthcare & Seniors U.S. “The momentum we’ve built together over the past 23 years is the next step in achieving our shared goal of enhancing the patient experience through a proven, compassion-based framework while also creating a better every day for our team.”

For Adventist Health, the move represents a continued commitment to leveraging innovation for better patient outcomes. “This expanded agreement is a clear reflection of Sodexo’s ongoing commitment to creating a healthcare experience uniquely tailored to our patients’ needs,” stated Justin Freed, Vice President of Supply Chain and Support Services at Adventist Health. “They have leveraged the most advanced resources and technology to operate with a clear roadmap for success, and we’re eager to see the continued impact on our patient outcomes as our partnership continues to grow.”

The New Frontier of Hospital Hygiene

At the heart of the expanded contract is the integration of advanced technologies designed to revolutionize hospital cleanliness and operational efficiency. This initiative moves far beyond traditional janitorial services, positioning environmental services (EVS) as a high-tech, data-informed pillar of patient care.

Sodexo will deploy a fleet of Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) disinfection robots across the new sites. These autonomous machines supplement manual cleaning by navigating patient rooms and operating theaters after terminal cleaning, emitting high-intensity UV-C light that has been proven to destroy harmful pathogens like MRSA, C. difficile, and other viruses that can cause healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This layer of technological disinfection is critical in the ongoing fight to ensure patient safety.

Further enhancing the operation is a suite of smart management tools. This includes “E-daily assignments,” a digital system that streamlines task allocation and tracking for EVS staff, ensuring accountability and adherence to complex cleaning protocols. This is complemented by a “dynamic cleaning” model, which uses real-time data on patient flow and room occupancy to adjust cleaning schedules and priorities, focusing resources where they are needed most.

The brain of this modernized operation is Experencia, Sodexo’s proprietary platform that uses predictive insights and actionable data. By analyzing trends in cleaning times, patient feedback, and infection rates, Experencia allows for proactive adjustments to service delivery, optimizing staffing and improving the overall patient environment before issues arise.

Redefining Clean: The Critical Role of Environmental Services

In modern healthcare, Environmental Services (EVS) are a mission-critical function directly linked to patient safety, satisfaction, and a hospital’s financial health. The partnership between Sodexo and Adventist Health highlights a growing recognition of EVS as a sophisticated discipline that requires specialized expertise and significant investment.

Effective EVS programs are the first line of defense against HAIs, which affect approximately 1 in 31 hospital patients on any given day, according to the CDC, and add billions in costs to the U.S. healthcare system annually. By implementing rigorous, technology-assisted cleaning and disinfection protocols, health systems can significantly reduce infection rates, shorten patient stays, and lower associated treatment costs.

Beyond infection control, the cleanliness of a facility is one of the most visible and impactful factors in patient satisfaction. It heavily influences Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores, which affect a hospital's reputation and reimbursement levels. A clean, well-maintained environment signals quality and care, fostering trust and comfort among patients and their families.

By entrusting this complex function to a specialized partner, health systems like Adventist Health can focus their internal resources on their core mission: providing clinical care. This strategic outsourcing ensures that EVS operations adhere to stringent regulations from bodies like The Joint Commission and OSHA, while freeing up hospital leadership to concentrate on medical innovation and patient treatment.

Boosting Economies and Well-being Across the West Coast

The impact of this $70 million deal extends far beyond the walls of the hospitals. The creation of over 400 new jobs across California, Hawaii, and Oregon represents a significant economic investment in local communities. These roles, primarily in environmental services, will include frontline EVS attendants, supervisors, and specialists trained to operate and maintain the new cleaning technologies.

Sodexo, which employs over 100,000 people in North America, has committed to providing these new team members with comprehensive benefits, including paid time off, healthcare, and tuition reimbursement, along with robust training and career development opportunities. This approach aims to build a stable, skilled workforce, turning essential jobs into long-term careers that support local families and economies.

The influx of new jobs will stimulate local spending and contribute to the tax base in the communities served by Adventist Health. This expansion is a clear example of how strategic business partnerships in the healthcare sector can generate a positive ripple effect, fostering both community health and economic vitality.

As the partnership enters its next phase, it stands as a model for the future of facilities management in healthcare—one where long-term collaboration, technological innovation, and a focus on the human element converge to create safer hospitals and stronger communities.