Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Teams With Geek Squad to Open
First Ever In-Hospital Precinct
Agents will be On Site at Minneapolis Hospital to Provide Free Tech Support to
Patients and Families
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- When a child is being
treated for a serious illness, staying connected with friends, keeping up with
school, and simply passing time during long days in the hospital can be
extremely challenging. More and more patients are relying on technology to
help, from laptops and mobile phones, to video games, movies and music. But
when that technology fails, it can bring added stress to an already difficult
time in a family's life.
To try to take away the stress and help patients use technology more
effectively, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and Best Buy are
teaming to open the first ever in-hospital Geek Squad precinct, providing free
tech support to patients and their families. The precinct will officially
open on Monday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m.
"Many of our patients spend weeks or even months in the hospital, and it's
important for their development and their healing to stay in touch with
friends," said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, president and CEO, Children's of
Minnesota. "Technology plays a central role in helping children stay
connected and entertained, so having Geek Squad agents on site will provide a
valuable resource to our patients and families."
The Geek Squad precinct will be located on the skyway level of the new
Children's Specialty Center across the street from the main hospital on
Chicago Ave. Patients and family members will be able to stop by the precinct
for assistance or call to have an agent come to their room for help.
"When a family is dealing with a health crisis, the last thing they need is
added stress from technology that isn't working like it should," said Robert
Stephens, Geek Squad founder and chief inspector. "We're honored to be able
to bring our expertise to Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota to
make the lives of these patients a little easier and hopefully a little more
enjoyable."
The Geek Squad precinct is the latest in a series of collaborations between
Best Buy and Children's of Minnesota. Best Buy is also supplying technology
consulting for all patient rooms as a part of Children's current hospital
renovations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Best Buy representatives met with
patients, families, and doctors to learn about the personal technology needs
in patient rooms and helped design systems to meet those needs. The
renovations in Minneapolis are scheduled to be complete in 2010.
About Children's of Minnesota:
Serving as Minnesota's children's hospital since 1924, Children's Hospitals
and Clinics of Minnesota is the seventh -largest pediatric health care
organization in the United States, with 332 staffed beds at its two hospitals
in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care
system, Children's of Minnesota provides care through more than 14,000
inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient
visits every year. Children's is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide
comprehensive care exclusively to children and in 2008 it was ranked among the
best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Brian Lucas of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota ,
+1-612-813-6615, cell, +1-612-432-4789, Brian.Lucas@childrensmn.org
