Shawn, our local hospital has become a joke. They appointed an arrogant African-American woman from New York City as hospital adminstrator several years ago, and ever since it's went from a nice, friendly patient oriented facility to a nightmare.
I'm almost ashamed to tell people that I once was employed there as a security officer. They seem to do everything in their power to make patients and patients families feel inconvienced and unwelcome. It now has the feel of a big city hospital....where patients are looked upon as numbers, not humans....many doctors and staff seem not to care whether the patient lives or dies -- just as long as they are making $$$$ (the bottom line
I've had to BEG to get my great aunt a cot to sleep on when staying with her husband at night....was told there were no pillows available for his bed (and he was a PATIENT)...I went and purchased him one at Wal-Mart. They now lock the cafeteria between meals and patient family members cannot even get a cup of ice. There are very few places for visitors to sit down and rest (no waiting rooms on 2nd & 3rd floors anymore; not enough chairs in patient rooms; the front lobby which WAS a large waiting room is now the outpatient surgery/ radiology waiting room). The ICU waiting room is very difficult for patient families to find (I've worked there and have a difficult time telling others how to find it).
It seems anything they can do to hassle patients and their families they do....even give family members a hard time who are trying to find loved ones brought in by ambulance in dying condition.....I've seen distraught folks sitting in the ER waiting room, unable to be with their family member as they die -- blocked by electonic doors (I know reasonable security is needed in any ER setting...but any nurse/ staff member with common sense should be able to discern between troublemakers and those who are earnestly concerned about their loved one's welfare). What it boils down to is the hospital no longer CARES about family members, their comfort, or their feelings.
We are now reluctant to leave an elderly family member alone overnight -- because aunt Ruby once fell after her repeated calls to the nurses station requesting assistance to get to the toilet were ignored (and aunt Ruby tried to get there herself rather than mess in her bed).
Also, the food in the hospital cafeteria has to be the sorriest I've ever eaten (and used to be a great place to eat). They've cut corners to save money, and now the food is often served cold/ half cooked...I've gotten almost afraid to eat there (have gotten sick several times eating there in recent years). On my uncle's recent hospitalization, we mostly bought lunch/ dinner at nearby restaurants or ate meals here at home.
What's really scary? The patients get the same slop as the visitors. Does anyone wonder why I had a difficult time getting aunt Ruby to eat while in the hospital...why I have a difficult time getting uncle Larry, aunt Millie, or my grandmother to eat and keep their strength up while in the hospital.
One factor in all I've described....Wellstar Douglas is hopelessly overcrowded. Since the only other hospital in Douglas County closed down in 2001, we now have one 90 bed facilty to serve 100,000 residents and thousands of travelers and visitors. I've seen my relatives stuck in the ER for 2 days or longer while waiting to be transferred to a room upstairs after being admitted. I've seen patients lying on gurneys in the ER hallways for hours without medical attention. I have no doubts that this has caused deaths...especially among elderly patients in the past couple years (especially in the wintertime when flu/ pneumonia outbreaks cause even worse burden on limited facilities/ staff).
BTW- I'm NOT a disgruntled former employee. I resigned from Douglas General hospital on very friendly terms to accept a better job in 1991....all this mess I've described didn't begin until 1996 -- when the new hospital adminstrator was appointed...and it's been all downhill ever since.
Just give her back to her parents and let her live!!!
