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Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Teams with Geek Squad to Open First Ever In-Hospital Precinct

Agents will be On Site at Minneapolis Hospital to Provide Free Tech Support to Patients and Families

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (Nov. 16, 2009) – When a child is being treated for a serious illness, staying connected with friends, keeping up with school, and simply passing time during long days in the hospital can be extremely challenging. More and more patients are relying on technology to help, from laptops and mobile phones, to video games, movies and music. But when that technology fails, it can bring added stress to an already difficult time in a family’s life.

To try to take away the stress and help patients use technology more effectively, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and Best Buy are teaming to open the first ever in-hospital Geek Squad precinct, providing free tech support to patients and their families. The precinct will officially open on Monday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m.

“Many of our patients spend weeks or even months in the hospital, and it’s important for their development and their healing to stay in touch with friends,” said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, president and CEO, Children’s of Minnesota. “Technology plays a central role in helping children stay connected and entertained, so having Geek Squad agents on site will provide a valuable resource to our patients and families.”

The Geek Squad precinct will be located on the skyway level of the new Children’s Specialty Center across the street from the main hospital on Chicago Ave. Patients and family members will be able to stop by the precinct for assistance or call to have an agent come to their room for help.

“When a family is dealing with a health crisis, the last thing they need is added stress from technology that isn’t working like it should,” said Robert Stephens, Geek Squad founder and chief inspector. “We’re honored to be able to bring our expertise to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota to make the lives of these patients a little easier and hopefully a little more enjoyable.”

The Geek Squad precinct is the latest in a series of collaborations between Best Buy and Children’s of Minnesota. Best Buy is also supplying technology consulting for all patient rooms as a part of Children’s current hospital renovations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Best Buy representatives met with patients, families, and doctors to learn about the personal technology needs in patient rooms and helped design systems to meet those needs. The renovations in Minneapolis are scheduled to be complete in 2010.

About Children’s of Minnesota:
Serving as Minnesota’s children’s hospital since 1924, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is the seventh -largest pediatric health care organization in the United States, with 332 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children’s of Minnesota provides care through more than 14,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits every year. Children’s is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children and in 2008 it was ranked among the best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.