Cornwall Ontario — In an effort to improve our parking system Cornwall Community Hospital’s parking technology will be upgraded to better meet the needs of patients and visitors. Due to increased public demand, we are evolving from a daily rate system to a variable rate system, which will save people money when they visit the hospital for a short period of time. Installation and implementation of this technology is expected to be completed for March 20, 2013.

With this improved technology comes a new routine for guests to follow in order to successfully enter and exit the premises. Visitors will be required to push a button on the entry terminal which will dispense a ticket that must be brought in with them. By taking the ticket out of the terminal, the gate will open allowing visitors to find a place to park their vehicles and proceed to entering the hospital. Once they are ready to leave the hospital, this ticket will need to be inserted into one of the pay stations inside the building. The amount will depend on how long the stay was with the minimum being $3.00. The pay stations are located on the first floor of the Janet MacDonell Pavilion (JMP) and in the waiting room in the emergency department. They accept cash, credit, or debit cards. After paying the amount, a button must be pushed to obtain a receipt to use when exiting the lot. Upon driving to the exit gate they must put their receipt into the designated slot, at which time the arm of the gate will rise allowing them to leave the property.

The new pay structure will be as follows:

•  0-60 minutes = $3.00
• Over 60 minutes = $6.00 (if you leave the parking lot then return you will have to purchase another ticket)

Please note if you are at the hospital for consecutive days you will be charged for every
24 hour time period. Monthly parking passes are still available for purchase at the cashier’s desk, beside patient registration.

The new rate structure has received a new programming parameter. If someone enters the lot and discovers the lot is full, their ticket will allow them to leave without paying provided they leave within 10 minutes. This is intended to minimize the stress associated with the full lots. It is important to note that visitors should only pay for parking when they are fully prepared to leave and not when first entering the building. There will be a grace period of 20 minutes to allow for people to reach their vehicles and leave safely. Each terminal is equipped with a two-way intercom station linked directly to the security office. The public may push the button when assistance is needed, and are encouraged to ask staff and volunteers for help whenever necessary.