Healthcare in the villages
 

My husband and I moved to the Villages 2 years ago and love it. Unfortunately my husband became gravely Ill one month after we moved. This is an actual response after reading talk of the Villages this morning about the woman going to Villages Regional Hospital and sitting on a gurny in the ER hallway all night. This is not just the flu causing this horrendous service at the Villages regional. My husband has been rushed by ambulance or we walked in and every time he was taken in the back only to be put in an Er room to sit there 17 hours to overnight. If this isn’t bad enough no one ever comes in and tells u the status or what’s going on. My husband has since passed away in November with never being able to enjoy his passion, golf.

It got so bad when my husbands doctor advised me to take him to emergency I refused. We’ve had so many bad experiences in the Villages ER I felt I’d rather have him die at home in comfort then in a cold ER room on a rack of a gurney.

This issue HAS to be addressed. We need to stop building additional communities in the land that is purchased and start building more hospitals. AND SOONER NIT LATER.

I worked in the medical industry for 10 years and my husband for 30 and I have yet to see such atrocious health care as we have in the Villages.

Gail I am so sorry for your loss..As a retired Nurse practitioner I totally agree!

So sorry for your loss. Hoping things get easier for you in time.

I was in the emergency room last month waiting for a bed in Critical Care for several hours. I was in a small room with monitors on me for vital signs. I disagree with your assessment.

I am very sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine the sadness you are feeling.

It seems to me that a large community of seniors inevitably requires a lot of medical services, much moreso than younger people enjoying their prime years of health. At my present age of 76 having quality hospitals and physicians nearby I consider a must have even though for now I feel healthy and require no medication.

In my midthirties I was hospitalized for pneumonia and am grateful I lived near a hospital that could take me right into a room, no waiting at all. My physician put me on five intravenous antibiotics immediately as they had no time to obtain lab results before starting them. I was in hospital five days. After I got out my physician, a personal friend and a very bright guy, (he was a grandson of Dr. Goddard, the rocket scientist) told me he did not know if I was going to make it. I am so thankful they could act so quickly!

Although it might be pleasant to live say in a rural part of a Hawaiian island as some close friends do I hear about their primitive medical facilities and say thanks but no thanks.

Whether one can quickly obtain high quality medical assistance can be a life or death matter, especially for seniors IMO.

Was this before they put in your pacemaker or afterward when you had to return because the surgeon punctured your lung putting in the pacemaker?

It is wonderful that you had a good experience but that does not mean everyone else does also. My husband was lucky also as there were still ER rooms available but while he was there that changed and there were people in the hallway on gurneys waiting for one of these rooms.

I agree. We need more hospitals. I also had a bad experience with my husband's illness and on top of that he was mis diagnosed. He died a year ago. I am so sorry for your loss.

I preferred my room in the ER. Unfortuately, I was only in it for a couple of hours before being taken upstairs. I had a tv, they brought me dinner, and I was kept informed about what was going on. I can understand people being upset about waiting in a hallway on a gurney, but if you got an ER room, thy're basically the same as the room upstairs but PRIVATE! Not sure why everyone is in such a hurry to get to a semi-private room.
Also, the state has to approve a new hospital so you can't blame that one on the developer.

I think you have discovered the real issue. We live in a very rural area that happens to house a concentration of people in their heavy medical utilization years. We have the need but lack the highly skilled medical specialists and teaching hospitals you would find in larger cites. People need to understand before moving here that complex medical problems and emergencies will require travel outside the area.

Well said. We continue to take Daughter Helene to Cincinnati for monitoring of her congenital heart defect.

Excellent explanation. Those considering moving anywhere need to do due diligence and carefully evaluate risks. Quality and availability of healthcare is one of those risks. No place is perfect but to avoid disappointment, one should know what to expect before taking the plunge.

Don't get me wrong; I'm a big fan of the developer, he created a fabulous retirement community.
However I think the developer has a huge influence on what happens in our area as far as the state of Florida is concerned.

:agree:

Look at the incredible pace of megadevelopment in spite of possible future water issues and the golf cart bridges and tunnels.

Moffitt leaves The Villages hospital, replaced by Florida Cancer Specialists - Orlando Sentinel

I agree......when we lived in PA we had great medical facilities but we were so close to major cities and those facilities had major financial investors. I have told many, that if HC is critical to you maybe you should consider someplace else. Not saying it is bad here, just that there are better places in this Country. I'm not sure how they can fix the ER issues this time of the year....making the investment for peaks in the winter is probably not a good business decision. Finally, I would love to see them change the name of hospital, too many people here believe it is affiliated with The Villages