Recently I had a bothersome health issue that I delayed doing anything about until a Friday morning before a three-day weekend made me think that I should go to the doctor that day rather than worry about it until the next week. The general practice doctor I use has an office within three miles of my home and has a walk-in service for the first hour each day. Within an hour of making my decision to find out what was ailing me, I was in the doctor’s office talking to a nurse practitioner about my concern. She assured me that my problem was quite common and that a single prescription would likely resolve it. She sent the prescription electronically to the drug store a couple of blocks from my home. I picked up the medicine within a half hour on my way back home.
Fortunately, my story was not about having a terrible disease; rather it was about a medical need that I had for which I wanted reassurance and a resolution. The entire transaction from worry to resolution took just over an hour. But the experience reminded me of just how fortunate I and my neighbors are to live in a place like Reston with easily-available and excellent medical services.
I could have needed hospitalization as many people do each day. For Restonians, that does not create a problem. Reston Hospital adjoins Reston Town Center. As a new member of the Board at the hospital, I have become aware of the incredible range of treatments available there. I knew about the robotic surgery having been to an earlier open house program where I was able to put my hands on the controls to see how responsive the robots are. The robot was not attached to a patient at the time of my trial run, but I was convinced that the robot could skillfully do the work for which it was intended. Since that time the robotic surgery department has been expanded to be the most comprehensive in the mid-Atlantic region.
Reston Hospital in the middle of our community—a Level II trauma center—has a 24-hour dedicated pediatric emergency room for children and their worried parents, a nationally recognized oncology program named after my friend Ann Rodriguez, and an award winning maternity program among other programs to bring us back to good health.
I share my personal story and my description of the comprehensive hospital in our community is to remind myself and others of how fortunate we are to live in a community with such extensive and easily-accessible health and medical services. I often write about the extensive trail system we have in Reston and which I utilize regularly. The trails are good for our health. Another pathway we have in our community that leads to good health are the many excellent medical providers and services we have within a short distance from our homes. Take an inventory of those facilities and services to know where they are if you need them. They can keep us on a pathway to good health.
