[OhioBuckeye]

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.

I agree with you 100%. One month after having a 5 way heart bypass I had an issue that needed attention, I sat in the waiting room 5 1/2 hrs. I was told by my heart Dr. to be careful not to get the flu or any other kind of virus. There were 3 people in the waiting room with vomit buckets. It didn't mean nothing to the receptionist or the TV hospital what I was told about what my heart Dr. said. Not going to get into a long story but TV hospital to me isn't a place where you want to go. found out TV hospital can't treat heart issues, they can only stabilize you & send you on to another. You would think with 100,000 + elderly people they would be equipped to do these kind of things since that's one of the things that happen to people when they get older. Guess if TV hospital was as great as some people think the state medical board would make TV hospital one of the best in Florida!