If you've been in the main KGH lobby recently, you've no doubt noticed its big renovation has come a long way. The carpet is long gone, new dividing walls have been put up and the finish line for the new Lovell Drugs pharmacy and the “On-the-Go featuring Tim Hortons” coffee kiosk is within sight. The coffee kiosk is scheduled to open on February 19 and the drug store on March 12.
But the new retail services are not the only additions about to appear in our modernized lobby. A comfortable new room is also being added, and this one is being set aside for some of our most vulnerable visitors – those who have just lost a loved one.
“Family members often don't make it to the hospital in time to see a loved one before they die,” says Daryl Bell, Professional Practice Leader for Spiritual Care. “We felt it was important to set aside some space to accommodate them upon their arrival.”
Bell says these families often end up waiting and grieving in our lobby while pathology gets things ready for a viewing. The Patient Relations/Spiritual Care Consult Room will now change that. It's going to be a private space for everyone to gather.
Bell says the new space will help as people often have emotional break downs once he arrives to speak to them about their loss.
“All those pent up emotions can come spilling out,” he says. “This is an excellent example of how we are providing patient centred care by providing some very prime real estate to help people who need a safe space for a time.”
The room will also be of great use to our patient relations department as it's private and easy to find for meetings. It will be located right next to the new cashier's office. Bell says the new room should be ready for use by the end of February.
As for the rest of the lobby work, two new accessible family washrooms have also been added to the space. Both include an adult and baby change table for patients and visitors who need them. A new information desk was also created, along with a storage area for wheelchairs just behind it.
And things are also really taking shape one floor below in our main cafeteria on Davies 0. The new servery is set to open on Sunday, Feb. 5. It will feature the “On-the-Go” restaurant with several different food stops, including an Italian eatery, soup emporium, sandwich shop, a fresh grill and Tim Hortons coffee.
The view behind the hoarding on Davies 0 where the new servery is being created.
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