Wednesday, March 27, 2002
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Wednesday, March 27, 2002 |
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A parent wants to know, Is this any way to treat patients? Saturday, March 16, my 2-year-old woke up sick with a fever. I called [a medical facility] and heard a message saying they were open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. I promptly dressed my two children, ages 2 and 4 at 7:30 a.m. to be there in time for the earliest appointment. When I arrive, I find a note on the door saying, "Effective March 4, office hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily." I waited in the car, during which four other cars with sick people arrived and left in dismay that the hours were not what they expected. When people started going in and filling out paperwork, at 8:30, we along with about five other patients were allowed inside. I ask the receptionist about the hours; she replies, "Yes, we just changed on March 9; they haven't had time to change the phone message." (It had been a whole week!) At 8:40, my 2-year-old vomited in the waiting room, making other patients feel even worse. A nurse brought a trashcan and a towel, with which I cleaned off my daughter, myself, and what I could of the floor. They called me into the exam area, so I left the mess, along with a few personal items. [The doctor] was attentive, and explained clearly his diagnosis. As expected with any urgent care the service was very slow. By 9:30, I decided to return to the waiting room to collect my personal items. As I passed the nurses' station, I found four nurses standing around laughing and socializing. I didn't think much of it, until I arrived back into the waiting room to find the trashcan, the soiled towel, and the vomit on the floor exactly as I had left it an hour before! All of this was located near the entrance, where everyone arriving had to go right past it! At this point there were about 12 to 15 people sitting in this waiting room, exposed to this! I go back to the nurses station and say, "Do you realize that the vomit is still out there?" I was waved off by the same nurse who had brought me the trashcan with a short, "I'll clean it up." When we were finally released at 10 a.m., we walked passed the same mess, still untouched, still many sick people having to look at this. I so wish I had asked for a mop, so that I could have cleaned this up for the sake of other sick people. Pam Lehman Peachtree City
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