As Pennsylvania Hospital learns to coexist with COVID-19, patients who deferred their procedures in an effort to flatten the curve have been returning to the hospital to get the care they need. However, social distancing remains crucial to maintain the safety of patients and staff, so tight restrictions are still in effect for visitors, including those accompanying their loved ones to surgery. Without a magic wand to increase the size of the hospital and keep everyone six feet apart, PAH needed to come up with another solution. Inspiration came from an unlikely place — the Philadelphia International Airport.
As executive and workgroup leaders wrangled with how best to provide a patient- and family-centered experience while also reducing the pressure on waiting areas, they kept coming back to the cell phone lot at the airport, where families can park as they wait for a pickup call from travelers. “This example came up in multiple conversations, so we decided why not just give it a try?” said Jeff O’Neill, AIA, ACHA, senior director of Facilities.
PAH converted two temporarily closed valet garages in Old City and Rittenhouse into waiting areas and began directing family members to them in June as an alternative to waiting in the hospital. The process is simple: after dropping off their loved one for surgery, caregivers drive into one of the lots for free and wait for a text or call from a Perioperative team member informing them that the patient is ready to be picked up. While O’Neill is keeping an eye on the operations and is ready to work out any kinks that arise, he noted that this option has earned rave reviews from both family members and staff. Other Penn Medicine entities have expressed interest in setting up similar arrangements.
“I think this is a great example of how important it is for us to collaborate, examine all of our resources, and learn to think about them in different ways,” he said. While things continue to change quickly and frequently during the COVID-19 era, the creative and innovative staff at PAH are ready to tackle whatever challenge comes next.