April 2007
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Parking upgrades services
Parking and Commuter Services has been busy making improvements to its procedures. It started when director of the department, Susan Richelson, joined Children's Hospital Boston in December of 2002, at a time when patient valet parking was based on a manual ticketing system that caused long delays, frequent customer complaints and kept patients outside while paying and waiting for cars. "It was totally unacceptable," Richelson says of the paper ticket system that wasn't designed for a garage processing several hundred cars every day. "We couldn't function like that any longer." In May of 2005, the department implemented an automated valet management system with an indoor cashier station, allowing families to wait for their cars inside. "Also, the newer system has allowed us to process 40 percent more cars in less than a third of the time," Richelson says. "It's a seamless system now with most people waiting no longer than 10 minutes for their car," she says.
Redesigning the valet service was just the start. In late January of this year, Parking and Commuter Services made a temporary move to the first floor of 57 Binney Street to accommodate renovations to their offices in the Children's garage. Those who park in the patient garage are familiar with the long lines of cars at the exit booth. The new renovations will get rid of these booths all together, replacing them with a central pay station located inside the garage lobby. Patients, families and visitors will pay the cashier before retrieving their cars and receive a ticket to insert into a machine upon exiting. Richelson expects this to significantly speed up exit time.
In May, employees who park in the area will see improvements as well. The patient garage will adopt a new debit function for those with hospital ID badges, allowing them to pre-pay for parking and swipe their badges upon exiting. This function is already in effect in the Karp garage.
"Getting to Children's for appointments and work should not be a stressor for our patients or employees," Richelson says. "We strive to provide the same level of care and service you are getting inside. And there is always room for improvement."
