Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Seattle Children's Hospital


There are so many things I appreciate about Seattle Children’s Hospital I just had to make a list!
First of all, I’ve never met a staff member who was grumpy and didn’t look like he or she wanted to be at work. Everyone seems to come to work with a smile. Everyone is helpful and willing to go the extra mile. Seriously, I’ve never met so many nice people in one place before! Even the cafeteria staff are great! All staff also see the importance of letting parents advocate for their kids and are often asking, “is there anything in particular that is important or helpful for me to know about your child?”
They provide so many helpful services for families who are living in…err I mean staying in the hospital. Simple things like a place to do laundry, separate shower facilities with towels for parents, 20 minute massages for parents, a 24 hour Starbucks, a cart that randomly shows up on your unit with a smiling volunteer providing hot coffee, hot tea, and snacks, a swimming pool with certain times available for patients and families to swim, 24 hour family lounge with computers…and all of these things are free!
And the way they provide for kids, they know what is important! New rooms have a TV system called “Get Well Town” that starts with a short video just for kids about being in the hospital and how even though it can be a little sad or scary there are some cool things too like, “it’s never really dark” and “you are never alone because someone is always checking up on you.”The facility itself is beautiful and the décor is really kid-friendly. Everything from color-changing lights in the elevators to having each building named after a place (Ocean, River, Mountain, and Forest) and décor to go along with the theme. Each elevator has an animal name, like Frog or Salmon or Owl. Everything is kept exceptionally clean and in good repair.As with any hospital, there are always hiccups with communication between providers and departments but of all the places we’ve been I’d say it’s one of the best with keeping communication open and clear. Logistics run smoothly and staff members are kept up to date about current plans for the patients.I am so thankful to be receiving care here. Sometimes staying here even feels like a bit of vacation…ok that might be a stretch but it’s really a blessing to have the privilege for Anellah to be treated in this facility!

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