10 Things I Learned About UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

My 11-year-old son spent five days and three nights at UCSF Benioff' Children's Hospital Oakland and its affiliate research organization CHORI (Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute. Fortunately he is much better and I am happy to have him healthier in 2015 than he left 2014. Here are 10 things I learned:

1. It's more than 100 years old. Founded in 1912.

2. It has 191 beds.

3. According to the nurses, half the rooms have showers, but we defied the odds and stayed in two different rooms, neither had showers.

4. The "dining on call menu" is not 24/7 only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and delivered within 45 minutes. BTW "hospital food" is good. To order, one simply dials F-O-O-D or 3-6-6-3 from the room phone.

5. There is a washer, dryer, and shower in the parent lounge.

6. We had a dermatology consult using FaceTime.

7. We had a ward attending consult using a cordless phone and speaker phone.

8. The bathrooms in the patient rooms are only for patients.

9. There are PlayStations and tvs for each bed in the room.

10. There is free public access wi fi but some sites are blocked for security purposes.

Peace, love, compassion and blessings.