I've noticed that most medical waiting rooms are outfitted with TVs, which are usually tuned to either HGTV or the Food Channel. I don't mind it-- it helps to pass the time away when I'm either waiting for an appointment or procedure for myself or whomever I'm with. Those channels are pretty quick release: easy to engage and disengage with as necessary. Until recently, I thought that was the only purpose for that particular programming.
Here at the Mayo Clinic, which is widely recognized as one of the top health care facilities in the world, they have no such thing. Patients and their supporters linger quietly in spacious waiting areas adorned with fine art, and magazines and jigsaw puzzles spread out on round tables. In the atrium of the Gonda building there is a baby grand piano that anyone may play. A mile away, on the older St, Mary's campus, the spaces are not quite as grand, but the art is pleasant, and there are no televisions for we who wait.
Early yesterday, my mom and I sat side by side in one such waiting area. With 89 miles between the clinic and her home, we have given ourselves a lot of cushion when it comes to travel time on our three round trips down here this week. As we waited more than hour for her name to be called, I quickly exhausted all my means of entertainment, and tuned my phone to The Today Show. We leaned together and watched for a few minutes, until the wifi speed let us down.
Even so, for that brief amount of time, I felt connected to a world outside of the place we were stuck right then, and my spirits rose.
Take note, Mayo.
Here at the Mayo Clinic, which is widely recognized as one of the top health care facilities in the world, they have no such thing. Patients and their supporters linger quietly in spacious waiting areas adorned with fine art, and magazines and jigsaw puzzles spread out on round tables. In the atrium of the Gonda building there is a baby grand piano that anyone may play. A mile away, on the older St, Mary's campus, the spaces are not quite as grand, but the art is pleasant, and there are no televisions for we who wait.
Early yesterday, my mom and I sat side by side in one such waiting area. With 89 miles between the clinic and her home, we have given ourselves a lot of cushion when it comes to travel time on our three round trips down here this week. As we waited more than hour for her name to be called, I quickly exhausted all my means of entertainment, and tuned my phone to The Today Show. We leaned together and watched for a few minutes, until the wifi speed let us down.
Even so, for that brief amount of time, I felt connected to a world outside of the place we were stuck right then, and my spirits rose.
Take note, Mayo.
No comments:
Post a Comment