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Look for Blue-Tie Ambassadors at TOH entrances.

Sporting spiffy bow ties, The Ottawa Hospital’s Blue-Tie Ambassadors will soon be on duty at all campuses to help patients move safely from their vehicles into the hospital while family or friends go park.

The new parking service began in January at TOH Cancer Centre and has been such a success that it’s being expanded to all the hospital’s campuses.

Paul Whitlock, manager of Parking and Security, has heard from dozens of grateful patients and has noticed that many who previously came in stressed are now coming in with smiles.

“As far as we can tell, TOH is the only hospital in Canada offering this service,” said Whitlock.  “It’s long overdue.”

The Blue-Tie Ambassadors are specially trained parking attendants. They help patients who need it get out of their vehicles and into the building. If needed, a volunteer will receive the patient at the door and wait with him or her until the driver returns. That leaves family or friends free to park the car, knowing their loved one has not been left alone.

By lending a hand to patients in need, the Blue-Tie Ambassadors are improving patient safety by reducing the risk of falls. As well, traffic flow around the entrances has been improved, since drivers can more quickly proceed to parking their cars.

The program began after the hospital received a letter from Cathleen Bryden, a cancer patient’s wife, who was frustrated by the lack of compassion in TOH parking policies and practices. She attended the program launch and was very pleased and impressed to see how TOH had responded to her concerns, noting that parking is the first thing patients experience at the hospital.

“Taking the first step into the hospital is really hard, so anything that can make that first step easier helps,” said Mrs. Bryden. “In the end, it’s about dignity, and I’m sure people will feel like their dignity is being preserved [with this new program in place].”

Susan Charron, one of the Blue-Tie Ambassadors, said the program truly reflects TOH’s values. “I feel more gratified in my job, because people really appreciate the help,” she said.

Volunteers and the Blue-Tie Ambassadors have had accessibility training so they better understand the patients they are helping. For instance, they have learned about wheelchair etiquette and safety, and how to best help patients with specific impairments.

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