I have done my fair share of dissing Best Buy over the years, but in this case, I want to give them kudos. Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, with help from the Geek Squad from Best Buy, set up a “tech precinct” as part of a renovations that were ongoing. The area is equipped with computers, video game consoles, Skype access, digital cameras that can be borrowed by parents of children in the hospital, all staffed by standby Geek Squad members who will assist when a visitor or patient’s technology isn’t working in the hospital environment.
Alan Goldbloom, CEO of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, said that access to the Geek Squad, on a pro-bono basis, eliminated much of the stress that comes from technology that doesn’t work. Parents and patients can have access to what they need, so they can spend their energy healing instead.
The program is slated to last a year, with plans in the works to open other such centers around the country. There is no word on how the program will be funded after the one-year time period is up, but I can see some great grants coming into play to make this happen.