Where was there supposed to be a hospital and when was it supposed to be built?

I don't know the time frame, but it was supposed to be constructed next to Brownwood. The plan was changed and instead of a new hospital, which would require much more time in getting necessary state and federal OKs, they decided to expand the existing one. I think part of the reasoning was that they would have trouble justifying a new hospital so close to the ones in TV and Leesburg.

I've been here for seven years and in that time the hospital has had a major expansion done and now another is underway. The medical offices along Old Camp have been constructed and filled. They have begun placing the new Villages health centers around the community. The difficulty is that this is a community with a disproportionate number of seniors that tend to require health services more frequently than a typical city of 100K. Plus, TVRH is not just for us. It serves the surrounding communities as well. And Mr. Morse does not own it.

The community is expanding rapidly, more rapidly than supporting services can be built and staffed. While health care is obviously important, it is not much different from restaurants, groceries, gas station, etc. which will follow home construction, not precede it. You will note that the Villages Public Safety facilities are completed before many homes are built.

Understand that the ambulance services are the responsibility of the county. The previous contractor performed really well, but was replaced by the present contractor because they were a little less expensive to the county. Your displeasure with the promptness of arrival should be directed to the county. This time of year, ambulances have a harder time because of the extra vehicles on the road including drivers who don't pull over or who stop in the way. This is why our neighborhood has two AEDs and responders who can help until EMTs arrive.

We also had a nightmare experience last evening in The Villages ER. My husband is at risk due to a terrible infection in his foot. swollen foot, leg red and hot from toes to mid calf. He is diabetic and these symptoms put him at risk to lose toes or his entire foot. He had a fever, etc.... he was visibly ill. We waited and waited and finally left at about 11:30. The triage person just said, you do whatever you want sir. I explained the situation and she said there are still several ahead of you... Worse was sitting in the ER while people were vomiting. I asked for masks and was told that they are used for people demonstrating strong coughs... We felt like we were in a third world country. This is a sad and unhealthy situation. And-no one really seemed to care. Just got, I'm sorry for your wait. Okay I know they would do better if they could. And-couldn't they come up with a plan to keep the stomach virus patients a bit more secluded??? Shouldn't those with the flu also be more secluded... No way that ER is a healthy place to wait. It was a very discouraging and disappointing experience in The Villages Hospital. We will try other hospitals.

Health support services are not the same as emergency and ambulatory services. There are lots of doctors and health centers but where i see the problem is when things go radically wrong very quickly, there is not the necessary support. And yes, you are right. This is not the typical city of 100k. It is a disproportionate amount of people who need emergency and ambulatory care.

this is really good info that i didn't know. What are aed's and how do you get that in place? As for the problem with it taking 15 minutes for an ambulance for an unconscious person with difficulty breathing, it did not sound like it was a traffic issue rather a lack of sufficient supply of ambulances.

Sorry, but the ACA has NOTHING to do with this situation or situations in the future. Have had terrible experience with The Villages Hospital several years ago. Yes, too many people run to the hospital emergency room because they do not have insurance. Why then are so many people opposed to mandatory health insurance in the ACA? I would never, ever go to The Villages Hospital for anything.

AED is a device used to restore an effective heartbeat in a person who has experienced sudden cardiac arrest. Our neighborhood chipped in and bought two units which are located on the outside of two homes. We have a pool of volunteers who have been trained and are notified by phone and/or text message if there is a 911 call for any of our homes. The public safety department assisted us in setting up the program. Many neighborhoods have done this.

Your ambulance problem is a real one this time of year. A couple of weeks ago I was in the ER on a Monday morning to support a neighbor whose wife had been taken there. While we were in her treatment room, there was a steady stream of EMTs bringing in patients. The ambulance area outside the ER looked like the Publix parking lot at Colony. Unbelievable. So, I'm not surprised it seems be an availability reason for the delay. Again, the county may be the better place to express your concern.

My husband arrived at the ED with altered mental status and loss of strength. Was triaged at the TVRH ED and waited in the ED for 5 hrs. After waiting 4 hours and noting my husband condition was declining, I went to the triage nurse as people who has spent the evening texting on their cell phones were taken before him. After about an hour, he was finally taken back. They did a CT scan, found he had a large brain bleed that was life threating and was taken to surgery. Fortunately, he was fine after surgery however I question the triage nurses' knowledge and skill to diagnose a severe problem...my husband could have died!

Just playing Devil's advocate here:

Doesn't the fact that the many stories on this post, and the many other threads that I just read from before (I just joined TOTV a few months ago), have a good ending and nothing serious was actually wrong with most of the patients in the long run mean that the triage nurse (to be honest my wife was a RN forever in Tenn.!) was doing her/his job?

All these stories are written like "it COULD have been serious" or "he could have died" or....

I read these and think that even with the long waits and overcrowding during the "in season" the right decisions are being made regarding life and death.

That's a great idea - call the administrators.

We go to Munroe Regional in Ocala now, usually takes 5-15min. wait time in their ER! It takes 20-30 min to drive there though.

Your concerns are valid and I truly think the wait times are extended due to capacity. Please know as I have said it before Triage is the key. The patient with a hypertension emergency- some would ask what was the pressure? As Triage-if the pressure is 200 over 100 or greater-you can actually receive medication in the waiting room. The triage nurse can administer medication (depends on what medication)--but certainly can't write the order. Communication between the triage nurse and the physicians is key.

Vitals are checked approx. every two hours in the ER waiting room. They encourage people to notify staff of any change in symptoms. Also- remember you can always contact your primary physician and ask him/her if you can repeat your prescribed medication one time to see if that helps. Again-you must call your MD before doing that as that is the safest practice.

As far as the person texting and going back before you--most ER hospitals triage patients in "color". Highest to the patient who didn't even need to be in the ER. So-if you were triaged stable say (blue) and someone else was also stable (blue)...you go in the order you arrived. Higher acuity would be seen first.

For the person who's husband had a brain bleed--was the CT not done from triage? Most facilities allow the triage nurse to enter "protocol" orders so that patients waiting in the waiting room can have an initiation of treatment--including CT, x-rays, lab test, urine samples. Was he transferred to another facility? I didn't know the villages had a neurosurgeon. I am sorry that happed to you.

It is hard for me to believe a triage nurse told anyone they could not have a mask! If that is the case--you have the time you were there and probably remember what the person looks like--please notify administration. That is certainly unacceptable. I am sorry that happened. I do think there are several people in the ER (registration, security, housekeepers) and all should be trained to assist with basic needs- basin for vomit, privacy screens if needed, mask and location of where the hand gel and bathrooms are located. I would love to walk in an ER and have everyone wearing gloves and a mask (sorry--but I would).

Yes, ambulance services pick people up and then a triage nurse will determine if stable for the waiting room. I have even seen people come to an ER, believe the wait is too long and drive off the property call 911 and come in by rescue--most end up right back in waiting room and now to the back of the line based on the triage color.

There is no simple answer for a community with 100,000+ residents and I think a 21 bed ER. If the hospital is full (no beds available)--the ER is at a standstill. That does not mean EMERGENCIES are not seen. Yes, they are. That hospital has had 41 people in the ER. Hallways, opened recovery rooms at night...etc. Unless the hospital is on diversion emergencies will be seen.

Urgent Care--can stitch patients, they can have IV fluids for dehydrated people, the can cast a fractured leg, complete an ultrasound to find out if you have a blood clot, x-ray and determine if you need medication for pneumonia, can pull a tooth, can check children out for a fever/cough/pink eye, run urine samples and determine if you have kidney stones, do a CT to determine if you have had a stroke. These are just a few of the things they do....what the Villages needs is 24 HOUR Urgent Care that connects to a Hospital. This would significantly decrease wait times in the ER. Triage in one common area and then door to right ER waiting, door to left ER Urgent Care. That would certainly keep the flow going. I wonder how many patients are seen in the ER that are discharged? Didn't need to go and could have simply gone to an urgent care of their own physician? Just because you are from out of state doesn't mean you have to go to an ER. If you start feeling bad--see an urgent care (I think they all close by 8pm)...
I also heard Leesburg is opening an Urgent Care on the property of the hospital? I know The Villages Urgent Care is located across the street on 441, but believe they close at 8pm.

I think the E R would run much better if we had more people in The Villages with as much common sense as you Tracey Moore!!
:popcorn:

Tracey, I worked in a hospital for over 30 years. I am the hypertensive patient that was left waiting in the ER. My blood pressure was 200/98 both times that triage took it. I also had headache. We are new to TV so we were not sure of the other hospitals. The night I was there, it appears that the day shift was waiting for the 7 pm shift. No one was moving. When the 7 pm supervisor arrived she had a fit. She got things moving by ordering standard tests from triage so results would be available when patient was moved to ER. I, as well as other patients with similar conditions where taken back immediately. The nursing staff in ER were shocked that patients were in waiting room with these medical conditions. I did send a letter to administration but have not received a response yet.