On The Way to Slaughter

I work in a medical office, what used to be called the "Free Clinic," a facility in a system of city-run health centers that provide medical care to city residents, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. My office is outside of the lab, the place where patients come to have their blood drawn; a terrifying concept for some, especially the children who scream, kick and cry, often having to be held down in order to get the samples.

The waiting area for the lab is directly outside of it and over the years I've wondered how the experience of seeing and hearing other children having their blood drawn affects the children waiting in line for their turn.    

Dr. Grandin and her Bovine buddies.  

It made me think about Dr. Temple Grandin and her famous research into a more humane process for animal slaughtering. As an "Animal Welfare" expert, Dr. Grandin led the charge for new designs in slaughterhouses that prevent cows from hearing and seeing what happens to the cow in front of the line.  She found that when cows can see and hear what's waiting for them, they became panicked and stressed, thrashing around in an attempt to get away, often injuring themselves and setting off a domino effect of fear among the other cows.

Its the exact same thing with the kids.  While they wait for their turn, the sounds coming from the lab are clear; something bad happens to children in there.  I see kids waiting for their turn, their eyes wide with fear and wonder. When their number is called, I can only imagine what they think will happen to them. Sometimes, they run away and have to be caught and strapped down; and for those who have been in there before, the visit is even more terrifying, because they remember the ordeal from the last time.  All of it leads to a horrible experience for children and an anxiety-inducing trip to the clinic for the parents.  And all of it happens in clear view of the waiting area, leaving children terrified before they even walk through the door.

What can we do?  

Because of Dr. Grandin's research, slaughterhouses are now outfitted with curved loading chutes which control how much a cow sees and hears, and other mechanisms that provide a more comforting experience in the animal's last hours.

I'm not sure how we could fix this for the children.  Revamping the placement of the waiting area would require a re-design of the entire building, which will probably not happen. There has to be something we can do.  Having blood drawn is something that most of us will have to do many times over the course of our lives. It will probably never be fun, but it doesn't have to be traumatic either.

Any ideas?