Photo:
Dina Pan and her son | Courtesy of Seattle Children's Hospital
My teenage son, Jonathan, and I recently visited Seattle Children’s in April for an ophthalmology appointment.
As a parent, I was feeling very concerned about going to the hospital during this time, as my son has an ongoing health issue. When the scheduler called to reschedule his appointment, she told us that they were doing this for safety measures. I proceeded to ask her a lot of questions about safety protocols and she took the time to answer all of my questions. She didn’t rush me. I felt better after talking to her.
This excerpted post was originally published on the Seattle Children's On the Pulse blog.
When we arrived at the entrance, there was a nurse who stopped us outside and asked us some questions. We got our temperature taken and were given the go-ahead to enter the building.
Once inside, many people we saw were wearing masks. I immediately felt better about being in the hospital.
When we got to the security desk, we were advised to go to check-in at the clinic. We headed to the clinic, but were told that all check-ins were being done at this one desk to minimize contact. Once checked in, we then proceeded into the stairway to get down to the clinic and we did come in contact with someone opening up the door, but when they saw us, they backed up and gave us room.
In the clinic, we were the only ones in the waiting area. A tech walked by us, but we both gave each other room. Staff got us into a room that wasn’t far down the hallway.
The ophthalmology tech and Jonathan’s doctor, Dr. Michelle Cabrera, were both wearing masks. Because they had to look at his eyes, they had to get fairly close in proximity to him, but they were so professional.
They talked and were so friendly, asking my son how he was doing. Everyone was so positive.
Then we were sent to the lab to get a blood draw. While in the lab, the lady, who was wearing a mask, was super friendly and made that whole situation a positive one.
Overall, the whole experience was very good. Though I was concerned about going to the hospital for this appointment, once there, I could see the hospital was taking precautions with masks, temperature checks and cleaning. I could tell that there weren’t a lot of people around so it was fairly easy to social-distance. Though we encountered others in the elevator and staircase areas, we made room for each other and went on our way with very minimal contact.
We have another appointment coming up in the next couple of months and I do not have any concerns about going to that appointment because I know Seattle Children’s is taking safety very seriously and I am comfortable with what I saw when we were there.
Seattle Children’s is providing a range of options for families who need care, including expanded telehealth. We are committed to keeping our patients, families and workforce safe from exposure to COVID-19. Learn more about our existing robust infection prevention strategies and additional safety measures.
