Allendale County Hospital cafeteria closes Friday for special function

Allendale County Hospital’s cafeteria closed Friday for a special function, leaving patients, visitors and staff at the Fairfax hospital to make other lunch plans. The printable menu for April 12-18 also listed Saturday with no items, turning the week’s food schedule into a practical update for anyone spending time at the hospital.

The menu page showed a steady lineup earlier in the week. Sunday was closed. Monday’s offerings included chicken tenders, hot dogs with chili, French fries, baked beans, breaded okra, yellow rice, mashed potatoes and gravy, assorted chips, peas and carrots, plus grab-and-go items such as chicken and tuna salad, potato and pasta salad, coleslaw, banana pudding, carrot cake and fresh fruit. Tuesday featured barbecue ribs, cheeseburgers, perlo rice, French fries, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, sweet peas, baby lima beans, mixed vegetables, green beans and garlic butter noodles, along with more grab-and-go options.

Wednesday and Thursday continued the same comfort-food pattern, with entrees, sides and desserts listed for the middle of the week. The hospital’s cafeteria page is presented as a printable weekly menu with next- and previous-week navigation, showing that Allendale County Hospital routinely updates the schedule for people who rely on it during the week.

That matters in a place where the hospital is more than a cafeteria stop. Allendale County Hospital says it provides general medical and surgical care for inpatient, outpatient and emergency room patients, participates in Medicare and Medicaid, and keeps emergency room services open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The county says the hospital and its affiliates are committed to improving the health and well-being of the community.

The hospital is licensed as a 25-bed critical access hospital at 1787 Allendale-Fairfax Highway in Fairfax, and it has owned and operated two rural health clinics, Laffitte Warren Medical Center in Allendale and Carolina Medical Associates on the hospital campus. It also operates the John Edward Harter Nursing Center, a 44-bed skilled nursing facility, and its hospital system employs approximately 200-plus people. USC Salkehatchie also points meal-plan questions to extension 225, another reason the Friday closure could ripple beyond the usual hospital crowd.