[billethkid]

Based on what I have heard and read the last couple of years, I have change my emergency information that is here at the house.....in case hospitalization/cardiac/stroke care is required
take me to Leesburg Regional hospital.
They have all the newest cardiac/stroke equipment there.

Plus the horror stories I have heard from friends and neighbors about the wait in TV ER....even if your head is being carried in separately ( :joke.

And of course the Property Owners Association Bulletin is always full of stories.
Like everything else, I am sure it is not all true.....but enough of it is and that's enough for me....the real deciding factor though is the better cardiac/stroke capability of LRMC.

My wife had her breast cancer surgery done there and one could not ask for better skills/patient care and family friendly.

What do you know? Hear? Think?

BTK

[Talk Host]

Here is my personal experience from two weeks ago.

My wife was injured in a bicycle accident two weeks ago Sunday. A broken arm and multiple abrasions. We went to the ER at 7:30 Sunday evening and spent 5 tearful, painful hours in the waiting room. Then once we were called to the back, it was another 3 hours. We went home at 4 a.m.

There was no attempt on the part of the staff to keep those of us in the waiting room informed about a time line. Once we were in the back, I complained to a nurse about the agonizing wait. She agreed with me, apologized all over herself and said it was a direct result of a staff shortage.

I asked, that if there is a staff shortage now, what will happen when the new floors open.
She shrugged her shoulders.

If an individual had left Kennedy airport in New York when we arrived at the ER, they would have been on the ground in London when we went home.

Folks, this is a beautiful, modern medical facility. Our experience in the ER was not pleasant. I am told the story is pretty much the same all over the country.

[rdmills]

Since January of this year I have taken my wife and Father-in-law to The Villages hospital both two times. We used the emergency room all four times. On each occasion we were treated well and respectfully. During that same time period I had to take my wife and father-in-law to Lesburg via the emergency room. He was admitted quickly but with the room shortage stayed in the emergency room most of a 24 hour period. The service at Leesburg was just great. While I was at The Villages hospital I spoke with an EMT who told me that all hospitals were either on divert or close to it on most days. That included hospitals in Marion, Lake and Sumter counties. We must remember there is a great influx of people in the late fall early spring time and everything fills up.

As to the POA they get on an issue and whip it forever. They need to sit back and take a look in the mirror.

[redwitch]

I've found TVRMH ER to be very quick. When I had my emergency gall bladder surgery, I was in the ER for less than one hour and on the operating table in less than 3 hours. Not really sure of exact times -- I was too miserable to care.

I had to take my friend in last week for what turned out to be a panic attack. We were in the ER for less than 2 hours.

I guess it depends on the time of day, etc. I know my two visits to the ER here are the shortest amount of times I've ever had to wait at any ER in the past.

[Peggy D]

Having worked in the health field for over 20 years I can tell you it is no picnicworking in any ER. It all boils down to STAFFING. Health care isn't about the patient anymore, it's a business.

To compare TVRH to Leesberg Medical Center is like comparing apples to oranges. They don't give the same level of care. Not all hospitals are on the same level. Be thankful
Leesberg is so close to give you the high level care that is needed in some cases.

This was a major factor in considering moving to TV.

Where we live now there is only one hospital that is about 25 miles from our home. With that, and giving the response time from EMT's, how long do you think it will be before we are seen in the ER in a major emergency?

Consider yourself lucky.

Just my opinion.

[Russ_Boston]

I had an interview/tour of TVRH last week (RN position). I specifically asked about bad press related to ER waits. The admin (former ER nurse) said that there are absolutely times when the wait is unbearable for injuries/illnesses that can wait. Like any ER they need to do triage based on severity of injury/illness while keeping the staffing in mind. She said that they often have to be in divert mode due to the number of people in the chairs. Some of the onus falls to the patient - if you have a sore throat or other minor illness - use urgent care or wait to see your primary or just wait until the ER doc can see you.

I'm surprised that a broken arm was triaged so low but I wasn't there to see the severity of it. There is also no excuse for poor communication. Perhaps they could have radioed Leesburg (A sister CFHA hospital) to check on ER wait times.

Also the new floors are open. The old second floor has been closed to retrofit it to the same look as the new floors (3-5).

[Frangyomory]

If you go by ambulance, you will have no choice. They are going to bring you to the closest hospital.

I used the ER at TVRH twice. I was in and out. I take coumadin and my ear was bleeding for 24 hours. I went in at 8 am after a sleepless night at home. They took me right in and I was out in an hour. Had to go back the next day to ensure bleeding had stopped and again, I was in and out in an hour.

Guess the plan has to be that you only get sick during the quiet hours for the hospital!!!

While I haven't seen it here, back in Virginia I found that many of the uninsured used the ER instead of a doctor because they knew they would get treated quickly and for free. This is what really hurts the effectiveness of an ER. But, as I said, I have not seen that here.

In any event, my insurance plan only covers Munroe Regional Hospital so I guess I'll have to die on the way!!! LOL!!!! :bigthumbsup: God bless those PPOs.

[billethkid]

Regarding choice of hospitals to be taken to by ambulance....

From close to home experience by our neighbors , here in TV you can request to be taken to a given hospital.

On the emergency sheet that one makes available for emergency care when they arrive at your door, it asks which hospital you prefer to be taken to.

Our family doctor has told us to ask to be taken to the hospital of your choice.

BTK

[Peggy D]

Originally Posted by billethkid

Regarding choice of hospitals to be taken to by ambulance....

From close to home experience by our neighbors , here in TV you can request to be taken to a given hospital.

On the emergency sheet that one makes available for emergency care when they arrive at your door, it asks which hospital you prefer to be taken to.

Our family doctor has told us to ask to be taken to the hospital of your choice.

BTK

Okay as long as the hospital of your choice is not on devert.

Fran is right, too many abuse the ER. This is the major cause of delays besides staffing.

[fotomanSM]

The info in your message is good to know. I am considering a move to TV, Hospital and ER accommodations will be of prime importance to me....fotoman

Originally Posted by Peggy D

Having worked in the health field for over 20 years I can tell you it is no picnicworking in any ER. It all boils down to STAFFING. Health care isn't about the patient anymore, it's a business.

To compare TVRH to Leesberg Medical Center is like comparing apples to oranges. They don't give the same level of care. Not all hospitals are on the same level. Be thankful
Leesberg is so close to give you the high level care that is needed in some cases.

This was a major factor in considering moving to TV.

Where we live now there is only one hospital that is about 25 miles from our home. With that, and giving the response time from EMT's, how long do you think it will be before we are seen in the ER in a major emergency?

Consider yourself lucky.

Just my opinion.

[Avista]

6 weeks ago I broke my ankle at 6am in my back yard. EMS came, and they were wonderful. They stayed with me in the ER until I was assigned to a nurse. The ER room was very nice. It was really a room, not an enclosed curtain area. I had cable TV to watch and was given good care. Later I was admitted and spent 5 days in the hospital. Had surgery on day 3. I have absolutely no complaints of my care either in the ER or the hospital. Everyone was very kind. By the way, I"m a retired RN.

[Peggy D]

Originally Posted by Avista

6 weeks ago I broke my ankle at 6am in my back yard. EMS came, and they were wonderful. They stayed with me in the ER until I was assigned to a nurse. The ER room was very nice. It was really a room, not an enclosed curtain area. I had cable TV to watch and was given good care. Later I was admitted and spent 5 days in the hospital. Had surgery on day 3. I have absolutely no complaints of my care either in the ER or the hospital. Everyone was very kind. By the way, I"m a retired RN.

Avista,

Sorry to hear about your "accident" Hope the ankle is healing nicely.

[Villages Kahuna]

I only used the TVRH ER once myself. My problem was skin infection that was not responding to treatment. I was referred to the ER by my physician. There was only one doctor active that Sunday afternoon. The wait was a couple of hours, but once I was seen the treatment was very good. I say that in the context of having lived in Chicago and having ready access to several trauma centers and a couple of the best teaching hospitals in the country.

I don't think we should forget how quickly the population of this area is growing and how the local infrastructure is struggling to keep up. The Villages sold 274 homes in March, a few more than that in May, and the pace of sales continues. At the community average of 1.9 people per household, that's a population increase of over 500 people per month! That's more than 6,000 people per year. Heck, my suburban village on Chicago's north shore only had a population of 2,200!

TVRH just cut the ribbon on a beautiful addition that more than doubled the size of the hospital. I've read that the hospital employs several people whose full-time job is to recruit new doctors and staff for the hospital. They are certainly not in a simple "wait for applications to come in" mode.

Will enough medical professionals move to our area to satisfy the needs of The Villages and the surrounding area? That's almost a certainty. It'll be easier once The Villages is built out and the population stabilizes. Recruiting and attracting qualified medical professionals is a bit more complicated than opening a restaurant or hardware store.

So I might ask whether we might be edging on unreasonable impatience? We should expect good service for sure. The POA should keep the spotlight of transparency on the issue, so long as they do it responsibly. But I don't think it's reasonable to expect that all parts of the infrastructure serving a rapidly growing population can be expected to maintain desired levels of service throughout the growth process.

Hopefully, none of us gets sick enough to have to experience the delays being experienced by some. But in the parlance of the day...shouldn't we all "chill" just a bit regarding the hard-working folks at TVRH? My guess is that they're working just about as hard as they can on this problem.

[Muncle]

I really hate it when people put those silly "I agree" icons after a good post, but I had to do it for Kahuna's note. Sir, you are right on the button in your evaluation of where we are in the evolution of TV. People forget that a very short time ago, there was no Lake Sumter or anything on 2 lane CR466. And just a few years ago, there was no medical complex at all, nor even a Spanish Springs. There really was nothing west of 441. I seem to remember reading something about Mr. Morse and Mr. Schwartz pulling a whole lot of strings and making a whole lot of enemies just to get a hospital authorized for TV. Like you say, Kahuna, folks just have to remember that this isn't an established city like "back home" but a developing, evolving community. Chill out and watch (and help) it grow.

[njgranny]

I've taken the attitude that you if have a long wait in the ER, it means they're very busy, and you're not as sick as the other people there. The last several times my husband has gone to our local ER, it's been for breathing and/or heart related problems. He's always taken right in and treated quickly ahead of others.

However, that can't have been pleasant for the woman who had the broken arm.

I think Kahuna's post nailed it.

Jan