If a hospital is judged on its first impression, Markham Stouffville Hospital has a problem.
That, however, is about to change.
The first impression at any hospital is not the nice lady who greets you at the reception desk, not the caring and overworked nurses or doctors, not the support staff, not the pricey equipment and not the CEO, whose annual salary exceeds $150,000.
Rather, the first impression you get is in the hospital parking lot.
Following a raft of complaints from the public, Markham Stouffville Hospital officials admit the health care facility's multi-step parking system has been riddled with problems for about two years. But a fix is in the works: A new and improved parking system will be put in place at Markham Stouffville Hospital sometime early in the new year, hospital spokesperson Mary-Lou James said.
"It has been an ongoing problem," Ms James said. "The community has not been happy. We've been looking at a new system, an investigation has been done and we hope to have a new system in place."
Here's how the new system will work: You take a ticket from an outdoor vending machine in the parking lot, keep it with you and pay by using a machine inside the hospital when you leave.
The system that has been used until now has made many people unhappy. I'm one of them.
On Nov. 3, I drove myself to the hospital - a respiratory condition had turned nasty. By the time I made it to the parking lot, it felt as if an elephant was on my chest. With a $10 bill in one hand and my health card in the other, I approached the machine to make change in order to purchase an all-day pass.
With only bills in your pocket, you have to make change with one machine and then feed it into another to obtain your ticket which, if you get it, you take it back your car and put it on the dash.
With the elephant dancing on my chest, the money-sucking machine sucked in my $10 and spit it back. I kept trying. I kept failing and the elephant kept dancing.
After 10 minutes, I switched my focus to myself. Without the necessary change to buy a ticket, I abandoned my efforts to pay for parking, opting instead to get emergency medical treatment.
Of course, when I finally left the hospital, a $35 parking ticket was on my windshield.
When I complained, Markham Stouffville Hospital and the Town of Markham started playing ping pong. I, private citizen Joan Ransberry, was the little white ball.
Back and forth I went. The last option presented to me was to dispute the $35 ticket in court.
While I considered facing a judge, a cardiologist decided I should spend Wednesday night at Markham Stouffville Hospital's sleep lab.
With three hours notice, I finished my work day, packed my night gown and tooth brush and, before I said goodbye to my dog, I ironed my money.
With two freshly pressed $5 bills, I approached the hospital's "Pay Here" station. When the machine ate my first $5 and spit out five loonies, I was thrilled. I bet the ghost of Sir Wilfred Laurier felt proud.
The machine did an about face and refused the second bill.
With minutes to spare before I got my brain and heart wired up, I made my way to the hospital's security station. The staff was sympathetic, acknowledged parking complaints are very common, explained it wasn't their fault or responsibility, apologized and gave me a parking pass.
This morning, I called the hospital and the town. This time I used my media handle and explained I was looking for answers to questions linked to hospital parking problems. I left a message for hospital CEO and president Janet Beed and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti.
Take it from me, Ms James' news is an early Christmas present for all Markham and Stouffville residents.
An improved parking system means this top-notch hospital will finally offer a good first impression.
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