[Velvet]

Unless, of course, you never plan to get sick.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by skyking

There are hundreds of hospitals who serve "an older demographic" with much much higher ratings than TVRH. I don't know what their problem is but it is not the age of the patients.

I am trying to think of a hospital in this country, on this planet that would have a higher percentage of geriatric patients. We are the largest community like us in this country and arguably the world.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I am trying to think of a hospital in this country, on this planet that would have a higher percentage of geriatric patients. We are the largest community like us in this country and arguably the world.

Percentage, no. Total count, yes. There are city hospitals with geriatric wards that are larger than the inpatient ward at TVH. TVH has less than 300 beds to accommodate a population of over 100,000 senior citizens, AND tens of thousands of non-seniors who don't even live in The Villages, but rather, in homes surrounding it. Yes there are other emergency centers and inpatient hospitals within 30 miles, but anyone who lives less than half that distance, will likely want their emergency treated at the closest place, if it's truly an emergency. If that emergency results in needing to be admitted to inpatient, that hospital needs to be capable of performing competently and efficiently.

Apparently, TVH is not capable of performing efficiently and competently. I don't know about you, but I don't feel "performing competently and efficiently" should be considered a very high standard to meet.

[Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Jazuela

Seems like a pretty obvious sign of underfunding and mismanagement.

Or too many hangnails and toothaches. Because that is what slows the ER.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Velvet

Thank you for clearing that up. I hate to have anything besmirch my dear TV.

However, ladies and gentlemen, we have a problem.

I love it here, but it is not perfect. Florida, in my opinion, does not have excellent health care, I think of places like Boston, Baltimore, Houston and LA as places where excellent health care in available and Ohio which has Cincinnati Childrens, third best in pediatrics and Cleveland Clinic for years the best heart hospital nationally.

There is little any of us can do, and I understand your concern. We go back to Cincinnati for our oncologist visits . There are many that say I am wrong, but Florida is not a mecca of fine health care. Even Shands is not in the top ten or near it.

Access Denied

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I love it here, but it is not perfect. Florida, in my opinion, does not have excellent health care, I think of places like Boston, Baltimore, Houston and LA as places where excellent health care in available and Ohio which has Cincinnati Childrens, third best in pediatrics and Cleveland Clinic for years the best heart hospital nationally.

There is little any of us can do, and I understand your concern. We go back to Cincinnati for our oncologist visits . There are many that say I am wrong, but Florida is not a mecca of fine health care. Even Shands is not in the top ten or near it.

Access Denied

This is true. And we, the people who pay for this medical service (whether through paying bills sent to us or taxes that ultimately end up covering our Medicare) have the power to change that. We can change it with our votes, we can change it with our active participation in municipal meetings, we can change it with grass roots campaigns and activism in encouraging and incentivizing quality care to congregate near us.

We can change it with donations and grants and fundraising activities as needed, if we are financially able to do so. There are SO many things we CAN do, to make our little speck on the map "better," even if not "good."

Some of the wealthiest, most influential politicians live in, and visit, and come to address Villagers every year, especially during election time. These are the prime opportunities to tell them that we need better quality health care, and challenge them to get it done.

Obviously it isn't a matter of lack of funding. If it were, all of the hospitals would be suffering from quality health care. And they're not. Florida is, and the Villages in particular is. We have a lot of very affluent people living in the Villages. And many of them are politically connected. Do you go golfing with any of them? Play bridge with any of them? Sleep with any of them? Dance, have coffee, do woodworking, bicycle, grocery shop - anything? Do you have an opportunity to say "hey Susie Bigbucks, I see you got another boob job. Beautiful job by the way, they're perky as a teenager. But what would happen if that saline implant ruptured and you needed to go to the emergency room? You know the ER closest to you sucks even harder than that lipo machine that trimmed your hips down last year. Maybe you could tell your husband to call his Doctor pal up and see if maybe Dr. Buttslim could do a little consulting at TVH once a month. Y'know, just in case."

[Velvet]

Excellent suggestions!

[JimJohnson]

We have so many wealthy people that pass away here in the villages after spending years enjoying this wonderful place only to leave large portions of their money to their church. I find that selfish and wasteful. Put that money to good use in hospitals and the police force.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by JimJohnson

We have so many wealthy people that pass away here in the villages after spending years enjoying this wonderful place only to leave large portions of their money to their church. I find that selfish and wasteful. Put that money to good use in hospitals and the police force.

At a minimum, start treating/taxing those churches that get involved in 'P' as the entity they really are...thinly disguised PAC's.

[queasy27]

I wasn't at the meeting with the hospital execs but didn't see in published reports that anybody asked not why the rating is so low, but why it went down from 3 to 2 to 1? What changed? The percentage of geriatrics and Medicare patients has remained thee same, as has the total bed count.

[Madelaine Amee]

It appears to me that most of the people complaining about our hospital do not yet live here and probably have not had any experience with our hospital. I have a suggestion for you, wait until you are here and if you die at the hospital you can always say "I told you so".

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by queasy27

I wasn't at the meeting with the hospital execs but didn't see in published reports that anybody asked not why the rating is so low, but why it went down from 3 to 2 to 1? What changed? The percentage of geriatrics and Medicare patients has remained thee same, as has the total bed count.

Because people keep harping on percentages.

The bedcount is still under 300. The NUMBER of geriatrics and Medicare patients has gone up. And that doesn't even really matter, because geriatrics and Medicare patients aren't the only people who ever need hospital beds.

The overall population has increased, but the bed numbers and staff count has remained unchanged.

Math coming up:

You got 100,000 people. 70% of them are geriatrics. That's 70,000 people. Your hospital is built and staffed to accommodate 70,000 people, and therefore is accommodating 70% of the population.

Fast forward 5 years, you now have 200,000 people. 70% of them are geriatrics. The total population count of geriatrics is now 140,000 people. Your hospital is built to accommodate 70,000 people. That's somewhere around 38% of the total population (which is 200,000 people)

You've gone from a hospital that can handle the majority of the population, to a hospital that can't even handle half the population, within a 5-year period. The 70% is based on the population that existed when the hospital was built.

Percentages mean nothing when you don't put them in context.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

It appears to me that most of the people complaining about our hospital do not yet live here and probably have not had any experience with our hospital. I have a suggestion for you, wait until you are here and if you die at the hospital you can always say "I told you so".

It appears to me that your callous dismissal of people who are aging and going into the period of their lives where they are MOST LIKELY to need a hospital, is callous, and dismissive.

People look for relative safety when they pack up and move to a whole other way of life. We're not looking for health spas where our feet get rubbed by half-naked virginal boys carrying pitchers of warmed scented oils. We're looking for competent, efficient life-saving and disease-preventing health care.

It helps to know what we're moving into, before we actually move there. We COULD pick anywhere in the country to choose from, so when we do pick the Villages, we want to know that we made the right choice.

Judging from the board of health, the hospital organizations that actually know about this stuff, the state of Florida's health department, and the Villages residents, this hospital is remarkably horrible.

[biker1]

Since The Villages grows by about 5000 people per year, and has been growing at that rate for several years, the population will not double in 5 years. The current population of The Villages is closer to 120,000. The hospital also supports the surrounding areas. I am not sure how many additional people that is. Regardless, the population will not double in 5 years. The new facilities being built in Brownwood will shoulder some of the burden. Do you actually live here?

Originally Posted by Jazuela

Math coming up:

You got 100,000 people. 70% of them are geriatrics. That's 70,000 people. Your hospital is built and staffed to accommodate 70,000 people, and therefore is accommodating 70% of the population.

Fast forward 5 years, you now have 200,000 people. 70% of them are geriatrics. The total population count of geriatrics is now 140,000 people. Your hospital is built to accommodate 70,000 people. That's somewhere around 38% of the total population (which is 200,000 people)

[Velvet]

As Jazuela says, we could pick to live anywhere in the country, or also anywhere in the world. I have picked TV and bringing my family member with me. As we prepare for our increasingly vulnerable years, we want to know what is facing us should we need help with our health. This is not a theoretical exercise, or a shaming exercise. It is a true concern.