Pass THIS Buck

I participate in the Family Advisory council (FAC) at UCSF Children's Hospital. I'm happy to pay back some of the kindness and grace Maggie and all of us have obtained from our time up there. The role of the FAC is to improve the family centered environment at the hospital. For the past couple of years we have focused mainly on the new hospital that they are building and giving input on design of patient rooms and other areas from the family point of view. It's interesting, but often I wonder how effective we are as a council. UCSF is an enormous institution and the bureaucracy is fairly entrenched. But they want to be better and I appreciate that.

There are several staff members on the council as well. Of course the staff who are willing to take part in this are already tuned in. We are preaching to the choir with them but theoretically they can pass our issues on to others. We met the other night and for the first time in a long time the head of the Childrens' Hospital came to the meeting. She's not the president but has some title right up there. She gave us an update on all the changes going on. We encourage her and she profusely thanks us. It is a love fest.

When she was done I decided it was the perfect time to bring up my issues about wheelchair access and the sign that said no wheelchairs in the lab (see entry "Access This" Friday Jan 9) Initially she gave a very kind (bureaucratic) answer about not being aware of that. I said I emailed the picture and it is coming to you but I just happen to have it right here on my phone. I showed it to her and she GASPED. It was hilarious.

She was flummoxed. She just looked at me and said "I don't even think that's legal, is it.?"

Ummmmmm no.

She quickly regained her composure and bureaucratic veneer and said "I am getting this off to the head of ambulatory care TONIGHT! This will be taken care of immediately!" I believe her, getting information to the right person is usually all it takes.

Still, I just smiled and said, "maybe part of the problem is they think the care is only for the ambulatory patients."

They work so hard to be politically correct and here was a conundrum. Now I was only kidding with that one, but I may have started something.

I have to admit that was a little bit fun.