June 18, 2019 — During this visit, I had the pleasure of meeting with two teams who are on the front lines, working closely with families and patients every day: the in-house transport and information desk teams.
The in-house transport team logs a lot of mileage taking patients to various locations in the hospital via wheelchair, gurney and bed. Their most frequent stops are radiology, the operating rooms and the emergency room. They also transport blood specimens and equipment. If you want to burn some calories, this is the team to join! They complete about 3,500 transport requests every month, consistently completing the transport within 20 minutes.
With Dagoberto Lopez and my latest passport stamp
The information desk team accurately describes themselves as the “face of Rady Children’s.” These employees, who staff the three information desks (Rose Pavilion, Acute Care Pavilion, Nelson Pavilion), see an average of 16,000 visitors every month between the three desks. Fun fact: The busiest month is August, with an average of 20,000 visitors.
Sporting my custom scrubs
It takes a patient, caring and flexible person to work on the information desk. Visitors can understandably be stressed out, especially when their child is in the hospital or when they are running late for an appointment. Language barriers can also be frustrating for families. This team approaches these challenges with a smile, answering questions and directing visitors to where they need to go. In addition to welcoming visitors, the info desk looks up appointments in EPIC, directs families to various locations across campus, secures the main entrance to the hospital and dispatches inpatient transport services. As one team member observed, “You want to see multitasking? Stop by the information desk!”
Volunteers also pitch in to orient families and answer questions. Two of these dedicated volunteers have a combined 60 years of service with Rady Children’s.
A closer look at the creative passport stamp
At the end of the visit, the team presented me with a custom passport stamp and scrubs inscribed with messages of welcome from all of the staff. It was a kind gesture that fits perfectly with what this team does every day: welcome people to Rady Children’s.
I could feel the warmth in the room when I met with this group. Thank you for your enduring commitment to our patient families and for being the smiling face of the organization.
