“Hospitality and the Hospital” – August 15, 2012
Unfortunately we just had the opportunity to test out the hospitality
of a hospital while we were on vacation. Marsha and I have been on a
short trip, and she became ill – which prompted a trip to the ER and
eventually a surgical procedure or her. It could have been a terrible
experience going to a hospital in a town and state where we had never
traveled. We were uncertain even of the location of the hospital, and
we were quite uncertain what level of care we could find.
To our relief, the hospital was clean, the staff was courteous, the
medical care was excellent, and everyone we encountered in the
hospital was so very hospitable. Not only did my wife receive the
care she needed, but she received that care in an environment of
hospitality which helped move her toward wellness.
As I reflected on that experience in the “strange” hospital in the
“strange” city, I wondered how many congregations would measure up to
their standard. Let me list a few of the ingredients of the
hospitality of that hospital to allow you to compare to your
congregation:
1. Excellent signage so I could find the ER entrance even in the dark of night
2. Free and plentiful parking
3. A person greeting us as soon as we entered – who took us to the
right place to start the admission process (she did not just point and
tell us where to go)
4. An admissions personnel who was an RN and really knew how to ask
the appropriate questions to determine the level of medical care
needed
5. Prompt attention from a nurse and then a physician (we waited less
than 10 minutes)
6. Many expressions of care, asking about Marsha’s level of pain,
offering words of comfort, and many comments about “I am so sorry that
has happened during your vacation”
7. No one – NOT ONE PERSON – looked or acted strangely toward us
since we were from another state and not “local” persons
8. The volunteer staff in the surgical waiting room gave me an
electronic caller (like you get in some restaurants when you wait to
be seated) that would locate me anywhere in the hospital when they
needed to alert me how Marsha was doing. Those same volunteer staff
took the time to show me to the next location where I needed to wait
for Marsha in recovery. Just like the greeter listed in #3 above,
they did not point and tell me where to go, they took me since I was
obviously new and did not know my way around
9. The doctor gave me his business card and wrote his cell phone
number on the back, saying. “I know you are new to this area, so if
anything goes wrong or if you have any further concerns or questions,
just call me – even if it is 2 AM”
10. The volunteer who wheeled Marsha out to my car took the time to
offer suggestions for places we could visit during the remainder of
our vacation, since our plans for bike-riding were changed by her
medical situation.
I could name others, but you get the point. Hospitality means caring
enough to put oneself into another “shoes” and to try to provide for
their needs even before being asked. Hospitality is really about the
Golden Rule of Jesus: doing for others what we would want done for
us.
I pray that every congregation can offer as much hospitality as we
received at the hospital while traveling.
Bishop Michael Coyner
