Hospitals are trying be more user friendly today, or so it seems.  When I visited Laura earlier this year in Rhinebeck, every time a baby was born they would play a lullaby throughout the hospital.  (I asked what did they play when someone died.)  Anyway, yesterday in the hospital in Poughkeepsie, the baby unit was full of adorable baby pictures hanging on the walls in the hall.  An inviting section overlooking the Hudson was café like, with small tables and chairs, coffee and tea available at all times for use by visitors and patients. Liz's room was larger than most rooms, even equipped with a refrigerator and a sign on the door reading "don't enter until 7am", reminding me of a hotel "do not disturb" sign on a door knob.  I didn't look in the bathroom, but I heard it was spectacular.

Several bottles of water and soda were available on the counter, as well as a pitcher of water which to our surprise was wrapped in a tiny diaper.  A nurse making the bed explained that the diaper was on the pitcher so it wouldn't form condensation and get the counter wet.  When the nurse saw that was of interest to us, she told about a surgeon in the hospital who wears a sanitary napkin on his forehead to keep perspiration out of his eyes.  Now this was even better than the diaper wrapped pitcher.  Laura looked disgusted and said, "If I was going into surgery and the doctor had a Maxipad stuck to his head, I would be upset."  We thought about this for a while, did he use a rubber band to keep it in place or tie it on ?  Liz wanted to know why he didn't wear a head band like tennis players do.  Maybe he just thought it was a way to get a laugh out of the patient.  Like I said "user friendly" - a stand up comic for a doctor.