[Bonny]

Originally Posted by Sky14

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.

It seems to me that this wasn't a real emergency requiring a trip to the Hospital ER if someone could just decide to go home because it was taking too long. Maybe a better choice would have been to go to Urgent Care.
I'm thankful we have a hospital here. I have been in the ER a few times and have had several stays in the hospital. Wonderful care.