Monday, February 2, 2009

Why don't hospitals have nice break areas?

I frequently have the pleasure of taking my daughter to or from school. On the route, we pass by a newly constructed Kaiser. It is along a major thoroughfare and is next to two malls on one side. On the other side is a relatively desolate construction zone. I frequently see the staff and guests walking to and from the mall that is diagonally across from the hospital. Many of them are in it for the Starbucks.

This, prompted me to wonder, why doesn't the hospital have space for coffee shops, florists, ... right on the lot. Throw in a little relatively healthy fast food, and you can allow people to stay much more comfortably. They are going to be staying anyways, but it is hard to get away to go get some food. You feel really selfish and you worry the entire time that you are gone.

Many modern malls are now making space along the edges and near the street for stores like Starbucks, Subway, ... to move in. It seems like a natural marriage to me. Why have people drive out to get food/coffee, then drive back. It would be better to keep them there. You could have a small parking lot that is externally accessible to keep the bulk of the traffic that is not hospital related off of the hospital parking lot.

For those of you who might be wondering at this point, I do realize that there are typically places to get food in the hospitals. Unfortunately, I have spent enough time in hospitals to realize that these places are frequently either terrible, or lacking in options over longer periods of time. I have been very pleased to see the improvements in the quality, taste, nutrition, and options in recent years though.

Anyways, not a big deal, but I think it would be a minor improvement to people's lives during a trying time. Who knows, it might even help pay for things that improve the quality of the staff, patients, and guests in other ways.

Jacob

No comments: