One thing I really appreciate about having a blog is that it gives me another place to hear from you. Believe it or not, I read every comment. Sometimes I reach out to employees to address questions and concerns. Other times I reach out to my leaders and ask them to address a concern. But whether you hear from me directly or not, I’m always reading, always listening and thinking about what you’ve shared. So hearing your voice on the blog is invaluable to me.
My last blog post about parking and patient access generated many comments from employees about our shuttle services and employee parking. I took your comments to heart, and I immediately reached out to the leadership that oversees these areas. They were just as concerned about the issues that surfaced and provided some immediate feedback, which I’m sharing below.
In addition, some of your questions and thoughts have immediately set the wheels in motion for us to look into additional solutions. We will follow up with those plans in the weeks to come. But for now, here are some things I’d like you to know:
After-hours parking
- Garage 16: After-hours employees who work in West Tower, Abercrombie, Feigin or Wallace Tower have access to Wallace Tower/Garage 16 on weekends. You may enter Garage 16 between 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Employees will need to exit Garage 16 by 8 a.m. Monday to ensure capacity for our patients and visitors on Monday morning. Garage 16 is not available for after-hours parking on holidays that fall on weekdays.
- Texas Medical Center garages: After-hours employees have access to Texas Medical Center garages between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays and holidays. You also have access on weekends between 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Monday.
Shuttles
- Additional circulator shuttle: Thursday morning, we reached out to the Texas Medical Center and immediately received approval to add another circulator shuttle during our non-peak hours (approximately 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.). This additional shuttle was added today. We will continue to look at other options for shuttle stops.
- Shuttle hotline: You can provide feedback about the shuttles at any time by using the shuttle hotline. Simply call 832-824-2666. Our leaders pay attention to the hotline messages, they constantly monitor ridership, delays and route adjustments, and they make every attempt to respond to and/or resolve issues that are brought to our attention.
Signage
We are making improvements regarding signage and wayfinding inside our buildings, and we are also working on exterior wayfinding. You will begin to see additional signage in the coming weeks.
Parking costs
Texas Children’s is one of the last organizations in the Texas Medical Center that still offers paid parking for its employees.
I hope you find this information useful, and again, I always appreciate hearing from you. I care about how the decisions we make impact our staff and employees, and hearing from you provides me with insight and other points of view.
By the same token, I do indeed want us to continue keeping our patients and their families in mind. Always consider what simple thing you might do to help ensure our patients have the access and exceptional experience they deserve every time they are with us.
Can night shift have Pavilion and CCC privileges thru out the week and weekend? We are out of there by 8am and that will truly relieve the stress of the employees and free up so much space for our parents and their families. Night shift will not be in the way of others because of our hours. Both of those garages are so empty at night and its almost like a slap in the face to see. Here we are making our blood pressure rise trying to fit into an overcrowded garage 1 and 2 with the rest of the Medical Center, and we see our very own garages under our buildings empty. The patients deserve for us to have a great attitude not a forced one because of the parking headache we encounter everyday. And the line to get into the parking can be so stress when one of the lanes are down and the line to get into the garages are backed up on Holcomb and Fannin.. Fridays and Saturdays when we can park in the CCC building is the only day I am not stressed and upset about parking my car. Please consider giving privileges to night shift ALL the time in the Pavilion and the CCC.
I have to fully agree with what Mr. Wallce is saying. Patients and families should ALWAYS come first. I know that I have had parents telling me lately that they have had a hard time trying to find parking.
Another concern I have though is the fact that employees should not be allowed to use the TCH paid parking areas for personal use like going to the Rodeo and other events at NRG Park, downtown, or the Zoo. I have observed this a lot. The TCH paid employee parking should really only be used when you are working and not for personal use. I am not sure what you can do about this. I just feel it is not appropriate to use TCH paid parking for your personal use.