The Community Imaging Center is, as you might guess, a medical imaging center connected to the…read moreCommunity Health Network and is located on the Community North campus at the corner of 82nd & Shadeland Avenue.
Despite being a lifelong paraplegic with spina bifida, it has been quite a while since my last serious round of medical imaging because, well, I'm incredibly non-compliant.
Hey, at least I'm honest.
One of the joys of spina bifida (sarcasm noted!) is that it pretty much impacts everything from mobility to the brain to the nervous system and quite a bit of the internal mechanics (You didn't think I could talk about the kidneys/bladder in a dignified way, did you?). So, pretty much your life is supposed to be filled with regular check-ups to ensure that everything is staying in good working order. These days, folks with spina bifida are living much longer and I'm rather enjoying it so, what the heck, I finally agreed to a long overdue kidney check after several months of dealing with an infection that just won't go away.
There are a couple things you should know about me - 1) I've been homeless twice basically because having a disability is incredibly expensive and all it takes is one really major health concern to completely wipe out the finances and 2) I have a rather traumatic background and am not the touchiest human being in the world.
So, the notion of undergoing an expensive and rather intrusive exam has had me intimidated for days. Fortunately, the folks at Community Imaging Center handle it beautifully.
My appointment was scheduled through my specialist's office and they didn't flinch when I had to work around a work schedule that can be inflexible and demanding. I was scheduled a couple weeks out and the Friday before my Monday appointment I received a phone call from an actual live-person to pre-register. This saves time the day of the appointment with the only "day of" requirement being presenting your I.D. I will admit this initially rubbed me the wrong way, but the more I thought about the more I liked it - the paperwork is done in advance AND, more importantly, I knew going into it what to expect financially. As someone who has been homeless, I can tell you the worst part of a big bill is the anticipation. They were able to tell me how much my insurance covered and how much I would owe. They could also tell me my options for paying it. Stressful? Sure, but what a relief to handle it in advance.
I arrived about 20 minutes early for an 8:30am appointment that was to be followed by a 9:20am appointment - two separate procedures. The building is a free-standing building shared with a Medcheck. Being a healthcare campus, the expected accessible parking is available and doors are automatic. It snowed yesterday, but for the most part the parking lot had been plowed and sidewalks shoveled - I will note that I thought there was a little too much snow/ice in the walkway area from the accessible spots. As you enter, the front desk is to the right with a waiting area encompassing the rest. I checked in and, as promised, all I had to do was present the I.D.
I was taken back to my appointment on time and, in fact, both appointments were completed before the second one was scheduled.
My first procedure, an ultrasound, was done in a comfortable room with ample privacy. There were some handrails on the exam table, though I didn't notice them until I'd climbed on. It was a tad high for a wheelchair, but I made it work. Once that procedure was done, I was taken to a small changing room with a locker (to protect valuables) and given the option of wearing a gown or gown-style pants. Different technicians did each procedure. The 2nd process was an x-ray and, as well, I thought the table was a tad high but it worked.
A couple of cool Community touches - 1) When the process is done, I received a card with the name of those who'd served me in case I had questions - this included the front desk/access person (Heather), my ultrasound tech (Lea), and my x-ray tech (Greg). Additionally, I received after a couple minutes of waiting a computer disk with my images on them for my specialist.
I was impressed with the staff - Heather was friendly and helpful. Lea, who likely had the most invasive of the procedures, was friendly, helpful and conversational in an authentic way. She did what she needed to do, but was also considerate of boundaries and dignity. Greg finished things up in a quick, professional and effective way. I was impressed by all three.
I've wrestled between 4 and 5 stars. In all honesty, it's really a 4 1/2. I was a little bit bothered by the snowy path and could tell the office itself was a bit old school as it wasn't quite up to accessibility standards. Bad? Far from it. I would say the office is probably shy of a 5-star, though the staff persons I encountered, especially Lea, were 5-star all the way.
