New Milford Hospital Celebrates  Free Valet Parking

NEW MILFORD — On Friday, February 2, New Milford Hospital plans to officially roll out a new service for patients and visitors: complimentary valet parking at the hospital’s main entrance.

New Milford Mayor Patricia Murphy will be participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, scheduled for 2 pm, to formally launch the new service. The ribbon-cutting will take place at the main entrance and the public is invited to attend.

Complimentary valet service is being provided from 7 am to 5 pm weekdays. Patients or visitors will pull up to the main entrance of the hospital and turn their cars over to an attendant, who will park the car at hospital lot on Poplar Street, and later retrieve it for no charge. (Tipping is not permitted.)

The valets are available to assist patients in and out of their vehicles, if necessary. Patients or visitors are given a claim ticket when they leave their car, and when they are ready to retrieve their car, they present their ticket to the attendant who will promptly bring the car back to the main entrance.

Should the patient or visitor not be ready to leave the hospital until after valet service hours, the key will be held at the security desk in the emergency department.

Mayor Murphy described the proposal for free valet parking as a “wonderful service to offer the hospital’s customers and patients.” She recalled a friend who was receiving cancer treatments and found it exhausting to walk a long distance to the entrance after finally locating a parking space.

“This service will be well received,” she said.

The service was originally introduced on January 9.

Dennis Primavera, New Milford Hospital’s vice president for finance and facilities, said the valet parking was added as a convenience for patients, and to help alleviate the hospital’s tight parking situation.

“We realize that with the expansion of hospital services in recent years, finding a parking space can at times be quite a challenge. And, we wanted to be responsive to feedback we’ve received from our patient surveys,” he said.

Patients will receive a survey when they leave the hospital, and comments are used to “help develop or modify services to meet their needs,” he added.