Parking Policy

So pretty much every hospital in the land has some sort of payment required for parking. This of course drives patients to try to get out of paying - parking along roadways and in drop off zones. Which in turn gives the hospital cause to prevent such actions.

RVH in Barrie has such a drop off circle at the front of the hospital. People will generally use it in the intended manner, but sometimes people will park and run in for a quick appointment. The radiation centre is right out front and there isn't even an allowance made for patients receiving radiation treatments.

Over the last 2 weeks there has been a parking attendant walking around, writing out warnings that are placed on the offending vehicles' windshields, writing down plate numbers and inquiring if there is a driver in the vehicle how long they will be. Even the drivers for the Canadian Cancer Society who have their volunteer papers in the window are inquired after.

So today as I was coming out from radiation I see a couple of people off-loading equipment from a Rogers TV truck parked in front of my drivers car. I saw the parking attendant speaking with them so as they were walking away I asked her if they were seriously going to be allowed to park there. She said that they had the permission of the "owner" of the hospital. I know, but I knew what she meant so I didn't go there. I told her that I would have to get the name of the owner so that I could park for free too.

From what I understand it is both a safety concern - keeping the area as uncongested as possible, maintaining a safe flow of traffic, and a monetary thing, not having people parking free when they could be paying for it. And really, I get it. A hospital is just another business; even though it is colder & more callous than a health care institute should be, it is what it is. Which really made me mad - people like me who are coming to the hospital everyday and paying for the privilege of care and Rogers just waltzes in and gets preferential treatment when (considering how much I pay for all of the Rogers services that I have) I know that they can afford the maximum of $15 to park.

I Facebooked it on my way home and as soon as I got home I called the hospital.
705-728-9090
Janice Skot - President/CEO
Wendy Sallow - her assistant
Joanie - answered her phone
James Sweeney - Patient Representative
Jane Caulkin - Manager of Communications

In trying to speak with Janice I spoke with Joanie who put me through to James. I left a message on his machine explaining what had happened and my deep irritation at this flagrant insult. Jane called me back within an hour, explaining that while Rogers was there to interview Janice, she certainly had not given them permission to park in the drop off zone and that The Media were very well aware of hospital policy, namely that they are to park in the Visitor Parking with the rest of the paying public. Jane said that a colleague was speaking with Rogers about the incident, reminding them of the policy and that they would also speak with the parking attendants to ensure that they understand & enforce the policy and that bandying about an executive members' name does not entitle them to undeserved privileges.

You know what I did next. Yup.
Rogers TV Barrie
Staff Information
705-737-4660 x 6933
cindy.macdonald@rci.rogers.com
Cindy MacDonald - Station Manager

I called and left her a message explaining what had happened & what I had found out from the RVH staff and asked her to call me and let me know what she was going to do to resolve this as I had found it insulting - as a patient of RVH and a customer of Rogers.

I await her reply.