Charles took the five of us all over both the medical center and the main hospital; at least, to those places where we had access. There were three Bob’s and two non-Bobs.
About mid-way through, we stopped off at security for pictures, vehicle registration, and to get our photo IDs made. We’re now official volunteers! Woohoo!
The med center itself is an amazing place. More like a grand hotel than a hospital. Seriously. No sterile, hospitaly smell, if you know what I mean, but everything is immaculate. Serving the people who come in the door is top priority. It seems like there is no service that they will not provide to its patients if asked for (within reason, of course) and many of them for free.
Coffee: free. Newspaper: free. WiFi: free. Places for the family: free. Flat tire: fixed free. I’m serious, these people are committed to making a hospital stay as stress-free as possible, for the patient and the family. And, everybody smiles and says hello.
I’m really looking forward to learning my way around, to finally becoming useful enough to help someone. Actually, I did already. I found someone’s passport on a table in a waiting area, tracked down the owner, and returned it. Felt good but, then again, I guess that’s the bottom line: doing good feels good especially when you can help someone else in a foreign and often scary situation.
Next up: it’s immunization clinic day for Plano schools starting next Tuesday morning. Hundreds of kids and parents coming through to make sure they have their immunizations up to date for school. What a mad house it should be. I can’t imagine how much fun it will be.