Let The Parking Begin...

You'd think that working at a hospital, the big news of the month would be a JCAHO visit. For those of you who are not familiar with the workings of a hospital, JCAHO is the organization that accredits hospitals so that they can receive government funds. Think of a personal tax audit, and magnify it about 10 times. ARGH But JCAHO has come & gone. They finished their inspection today, and we have been reaccredited. I must say, though, that this is the LEAST stressful one I've been through. Administration didn't go nutso like they usually do; perhaps because the visit was unannounced this time, and the anticipation didn't reach fever pitch. I saw that the hospital president wrote an e-mail to all staff & included some very positive comments they made. Hallelujah..it's over again for three years!

I put out a special edition of our departmental newsletter that put a lot of the info for our staff in one easy place for them to access. I was proud of that and felt good about getting that done and out to the staff pretty quickly after the visit was announced. I had most of it done already and only had to throw in a few things to finish it.

The big news at work, however, is about parking. They have closed the front lots at the hospital to begin construction on a new heart center. The heart center will be done in 2008 and will be a great asset to our hospital and community. But we've lost over 500 parking spaces! The new parking area is over a mile away (about a 15 minute walk for those who are hardy enough to try it), and the buses shuttling folks in is taking about 20 minutes each way, including the waiting time and time to get from the lot to the building. I've been getting up earlier, leaving earlier, but getting there about the same time. My sister Judy has been driving in at the same time as me and giving me a ride to the building close to my office, which has been a huge help! But I took the bus one day this week, and it was about 20 minutes just to the building (not my office), with folks crammed in there like sardines. *S* Same on the way back...I do not think I could physically make this walk or I would be panting, out of breath, and sweaty/hot at the start of the day. Walking in from the front lots winded me! Yes, I know that means I'm a bit out of shape, but there are other concerns too. My feet tend to bother me a lot, and I don't want to do anything to further aggravate them.

Employees are not happy about it. People are coming to work an hour early to get a parking space, which is just nuts. I am already giving them about an extra hour that I'm not getting paid for, so that ain't gonna happen. What upsets me about it is that it's not well thought out, IMHO. I went to an employee forum a couple of weeks ago, where they invited comment, and I have e-mailed the VPs a couple of times since then. They actually took one of my suggestions this week and made a change!

Many people feel that the parking situation is dangerous, too. With the buses only running 6am - midnight, it leaves some of the very early or very late people walking in, in the dark, or parking at a faraway lot at a late hour. Hospital police are supposed to escort people there who don't fall into the bus schedule if needed. Hopefully, this will prove to be an unnecessary concern.

The worst thing about the parking situation is that it's not going away. People will eventually adjust to the changes, but it's not been a pleasant change. We will never get these parking spaces back, and unless they open a new lot that is presently reserved for one area of folks, it's not going to improve anytime soon. I am desperately looking for a silver lining in this situation! So far, the only one is that I AM finally getting up earlier and leaving earlier - it's just not helping yet!

Next week will tell the tale for me...It's Judy's early week, so I need to be ready to leave by 7am, or I'm on my own. And she's off Thursday & Friday, so I definitely need to have my act together by this week.

I also started seeing a chiropractor this week, in hopes that he can help get my back & hips feeling better. I've been having a lot of pain lately, and I am hoping this will help things out. I like him a lot, and so far, so good...but I've only been treated once. I am very thankful for their Sweetheart Week, which included a free exam and free X-rays! :-)