I was at the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in late December to accompany a family member who was…read morehaving outpatient surgery, so I can only provide my opinion on the hotel from that perspective.
The outpatient surgery and waiting area looked relatively new and looked spotless. There were sofas, tables, and chairs on the first two floors for visitors waiting for patients in surgery. A long, high table with stools was also available for visitors working on their computers. You'll find a few cell phone charging stations on the floors too - although they didn't appear to have any cordless charging options (which would be a nice addition). Both floors had large screens that displayed the patients' names (coded) and their status (pre-op, surgery, recovery, post-op), and the times they entered each location (although there should have been more of the screens on each floor). The hospital also has a system that sends text messages to a designated person for each patient updating you when the patient moves from one area to another.
I was very impressed with Carla, the nurse who took care of my family member in pre-op. Carla was very friendly, patient, and welcoming, and she took the time to explain things to a nervous patient (and me). Her calm manner helped us both relax during that stressful time. Dr. Sam, the anesthesiologist, spent about 20 minutes with the patient explaining what he would be doing, the potential side effects, and how the patient's other health issues may be affected. Sarah, the respiratory therapist, was also friendly and did a nice job of explaining things when she was in the room.
The nurse in post-op, Judith, was very sweet and patient - especially with a patient who was in pain and miserable. You could tell that she had years of experience dealing with patients coming out of surgery in pain, and calmly handled the stressful situation while moving forward with getting the patient ready for discharge. The only "complaint" I had about post-op was related to the lack of information given by the doctor - which is out of the nurse's control. Knowing that a patient is going home the same day of surgery and will be in pain and concerned about their condition and what to do in the next 24 hours (before they can contact an office), more details should be provided that is specific to that patient. While some general paperwork was given, we needed more details about what happened to this individual.
It looked like the hospital still uses old-school hard charts for patients (at least for out-patient surgery), which was really surprising to me. Even my local doctor's offices all have digital files and carry laptops from room to room instead of files. This would make it easier for patients to look up info from home as well.
The seating available on the two floors for visitors waiting for patients in outpatient surgery is not comfortable - especially not when you consider visitors could be sitting there for hours on end. One gentleman told me he had been there since 6.30 am - and this was at 5.30 pm! Seating areas that give visitors more space to spread out comfortably and relax while waiting for hours on end would be greatly appreciated - recliners would be perfect. There were no TVs in the waiting areas either, so be sure to bring a book with you or an electronic device to keep you entertained while waiting.
The seating in the waiting areas was not 6 feet apart and there were no signs on the furniture indicating that visitors should avoid certain seats to ensure social distancing. Since this is a hospital, I would have assumed they would have simple measures like that in place to limit the transmission of Covid-19.
On the ground floor, you'll find a small cafe called the Eyes of Texas. It has a few fresh food options as well as bottled drinks and coffee. I only purchased water there so I cannot comment on their food. Near the elevator and restrooms on the floor above you'll find several vending machines with drinks and snacks. the hospital cafeteria is large and offers a variety of food options - if you have the time I highly recommend making a stop there (a few minutes walk from the waiting area). A small gift shop is also located on the first floor between the waiting area and the cafeteria - it is very small, but if you're looking for something to do while waiting they have some cute items to check out.
One thing that really bothered me while waiting (and I could see it bothered other visitors) was when people in the waiting area were talking on their phones loudly or on speakerphone! Please put up signs and have designated areas, where phones can be used since some people, don't seem to have respect for other people's right to peace and quiet in public (especially in a hospital).
Please fix your app too - it never worked the entire day I was there.