Thank You for Your Patience with Parking

One thing that has been weighing on my mind lately is parking on our main hospital campus. In August, we made the difficult decision to close our oldest garage, Daffodil – located by Physicians Pavilion West (PPW) – for critical maintenance. This closure has resulted in parking challenges and traffic backups on campus. I recognize the extra stress this creates as people try to get to appointments or visit loved ones. I am truly sorry to all who have experienced an inconvenience with parking during their visit. 

We look forward to the opening of our new garage at the base of the Promise Project’s Sandra R. Berman Pavilion in November, as this will significantly improve the situation. However, in the meantime, we know we need solutions to alleviate the problem and improve the experience for all who visit us. 

Our Security, Parking, and Emergency Preparedness teams are working closely to monitor issues and implement real-time solutions that ensure patients have parking as close to their appointments as possible and alleviate traffic congestion on campus. 

We have taken a number of actions, including: 

• Relocating employees who park in Iris garage (by Physicians Pavilion East) to Tulip garage (by Physicians Pavilion North) or Farmhouse Hill. This makes more convenient parking spaces available to our patients. 
• Increasing the number of valets available at Physicians Pavilion West and the Sherwood Loop to accommodate  additional needs 
• Stationing security on the first floor of Iris garage to assist with directing the flow of traffic 
• Automatically dispensing tickets upon entering Iris; this process is faster than pushing the button to generate and pull a ticket 
• Better coordinating large deliveries that could block traffic flow 
• Improving outdoor campus signage to make parking options clearer 

I am so appreciative of your understanding and support as we navigate this challenge. If you have an appointment in Physicians Pavilion West, please remember the option of valet parking, and thank you to everyone for allowing extra time for parking when arriving for appointments, regardless of where they are on campus. I’m grateful for your patience. 

Thank You to our Environmental Services Team! 
September 10-16 is Environmental Services (EVS) & Housekeeping Week, and I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the valuable contributions made by our EVS personnel. They play a pivotal role in the broader healthcare delivery process, investing countless hours in maintaining the cleanliness of our facilities and in helping prevent infections. While cleanliness is a shared responsibility at GBMC, our EVS staff are the true experts who work tirelessly to ensure the job is carried out effectively. Please join me in recognizing and thanking our exceptional EVS team! 

National Neonatal Nurses Week 
This week also marks National Neonatal Nurses Week. We are proud to have a 22-bed Level III NICU, providing complex and compassionate medical and general pediatric surgical care for about 400 babies annually that are born too small, too sick or too soon. The contributions of our neonatal nursing professionals make a difference that lasts a lifetime for neonates and their families. We are thankful for their compassion and skill in caring for our tiniest patients. 

Employee and Volunteer Appreciation BBQ 
Wednesday, we held our annual Employee and Volunteer Appreciation BBQ, complete with great food and fun. It is an event I truly look forward to as it gives us an opportunity to thank staff and volunteers for their dedicated service year-round. We had beautiful weather, and it was rewarding to spend time with team members across the organization. I want to thank Richelle Tighe, Executive Assistant, and Alissa Smith, Community Relations and Events Specialist, for their leadership and attention to detail in putting this great event together.