I have read the horror stories in this forum about the TV Emergency Room but my two experiences were positive. I would encourage others that have had a positive experience to comment because I believe a lot of people are being frightened unnecessarily.
Almost a year ago, I phoned my doctor’s office for an appt. and they advised me to go to the ER. I filled out the triage sheet. (very short maybe 3 questions) Before I got to my seat, I was called to the triage room and sent right to the treatment area. The treatment was courteous, respectful and caring. I was in a room on the cardiac floor within an hour. The hospital care was wonderful. My only complaint was a couple of days later… while “waiting” to be discharged. But… that is a different thread and every one was doing the best they could.
My second experience was two months ago. I sliced off a piece of my thumb. Because of all the comments on this forum about people going to the ER when they should have gone to Urgent care, I went to Urgent care.
First we tried to go to 441 Urgent Care at Buffalo Ridge but we went to the wrong building. We saw a big sign that said “Urgent Care” but it was closed. What we didn’t know was that 441 urgent care was across the street inside the Villages Lab. So, we headed to the urgent care in Sumter Landing . Unfortunately, by this time, the cold pack wasn’t as cold and my thumb was bleeding quite heavily. The urgent care was PACKED (Sunday close to noon) I thought they would triage as it was obvious that I was bleeding and using direct pressure. Not… We waited an hour until it was our turn. (which was pretty quick considering how many people were there) The doctor unwrapped my thumb and it was bleeding profusely. He said we had to go to the ER. He put a compression bandage on, said he notified the ER and to go right over there. We got to the ER and they didn’t seem to know anything about the urgent care phone call. But after a few minutes, they called us into triage. Maybe 10 minutes later, they called us into a small room off the waiting room. A NP removed the compression bandage and explained the processes that could be used to stop the bleeding. The first procedure worked, they bandaged me up, gave me instructions, bandages and sterile water to take with me. I was on my way home, less than an hour after I arrived.
I don’t doubt other poster’s experiences as I am sure there are times that it is very busy. But based on my experiences, I would not hesitate to go to the The Villages Hospital in an emergency.
|