Unexpected South Sound Adventures: Navigating the Emergency Room

One of my dad's favorite sayings is "the hospital is the great equalizer."

Essentially, at some point in our lives, most of us use the hospital in some form. Whether it's to care for and visit a loved one or friend, or our own admission, the hospital touches our lives in some way.

Typically, this column is devoted to fun and interesting things that the community can experience in our own backyard.

While I don't wish for anyone to have to use emergency services (that's not fun!) I did want to share with you my personal experience in the new expanded emergency facility of Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Tacoma General Hospital. I found the changes interesting, and I also learned about where to park and how to be prepared for a visit to the emergency room.

So, in case you are like me and suddenly find yourself needing to use these services, you will be prepared.

My Recent Experience

Little did I know that when my daughter and I went to visit someone else, we would wind up hospitalized ourselves.

A dear friend's child was recently admitted to Mary Bridge for a severe asthma attack. Once he was on the mend and about to go home, we decided to stop by for a visit and see if there was anything we could do to help.

When we arrived at the hospital, our friend was sporting an IV line and hooked up to a monitoring device to measure his vital statistics. Other than that, he looked and sounded great and complained of boredom (a good sign in my opinion).

Our visit was off to a great start.

That quickly changed though.

Without warning, my 10-year-old daughter fell back against a plastic mounted box on the wall and then proceeded to collapse to the floor.

As I rushed to her aid, a nurse happened to be entering the room. Both of us helped her up. My daughter quickly came to and seemed to be okay, but we were concerned. This had never happened before. Nursing staff advised me to seek treatment in the ER and said they would send for a wheelchair to transport my child there.

I agreed, and soon we were on our way.

However, when the elevator doors opened, I had no idea where we were.

I hadn't been inside the emergency room for some time and suddenly realized that the we had entered the new emergency-room facility.

I was instantly impressed. The facility was spacious and boasted far more treatment rooms, open spaces and a better check-in area than in years past. The overall decor and environment seemed comfortable and pleasant. The waiting area was vast with comfortable seating. A big-screen television was on the Disney Channel and it was coincidentally playing one of daughter's favorite programs, which put her at ease. There were computer play stations with educational games and a large fish tank.

The best part about the waiting area?

It was completely separated from the adult emergency room area, which gave more space and calm.

While surely we weren't there under the best circumstances, we were comfortable.

So, the burning question I am sure is this: How long was the wait?

There were definitely patients ahead of us, and with some clearly more critical, I expected to have to wait for a bit. However, the waiting time wasn't brutal in my opinion.

I was pleased with my daughter's care and service that we received from all staff members we dealt with that day. 

Best of all, I am happy to report that she was absolutely fine. We think the brief fainting spell may have been the result of being overwhelmed in the hospital.

About Mary Bridge Children's Hospital

Mary Bridge offers expert care for children and teens 24 hours a day in Tacoma as well as at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. Mary Bridge has been in operation since 1955 and is a hub for pediatric care and services serving the South Sound.

The new changes

Mary Bridge:

1. Seventeen new rooms for patients; 14 of which are designed for patients who are less sick. The number of pediatric trauma rooms has doubled from two to four. All examination rooms are much larger than the previous ones.

2. The waiting room and treatment areas are completely separated from the adult waiting room and treatment area.

3. Special play and activity areas for children.

Tacoma General:

1. The waiting and treatment areas are completely separated from the pediatric areas.

2. Large, open floor plans and larger treatment and exam rooms.

3. A separate treatment area for patients that are less sick.

4. Larger and more facilities for staff to do their work.

How do you get there?

Given our situation, my daughter and I were taken through the actual hospital. If I had needed to drive her there, I honestly would not have been quite sure where to park or enter.

Here are the directions: 

• Enter campus from Martin Luther King Jr. Way, taking the 5th Street Entrance.

• Proceed down the driveway to Petersen Plaza. The Milgard Pavilion is on the left (Entrance #4).

• On the right is the P2 Parking Garage (5th Street Parking Garage). Free parking is available in the P2 Parking Garage or patients can use the free valet parking located at Entrance #4, the main entrance to the Emergency Departments. Valet parking is available 24/7.

• The main reception area for the Emergency Departments is just inside the Milgard Pavilion.

What to expect

I read some interesting information on what to expect in the emergency room and how to best be prepared. Here's what Multicare advises to do have on hand when going to seek emergency care:

It's important to know your medical history, including allergies, past illnesses, injuries, surgeries, or chronic conditions.

Medical history should include: medications your child is taking; allergies; history of previous hospitalizations; any previous surgeries; illnesses and relevant family history.

They also advise you that you need to expect to wait, and assure patients that those who need critical care will get the services they need.

If you are not sure if you need the actual emergency room or not, click here for information to determine what kind of care you need.