The doctor that diagnosed my father as terminal assured me he had an excellent team that would sit down with my father and I to break the news, with me present. I saw no evidence that this happened and they didn't include me if it did.
Regardless, this lack of service is unacceptable. Especially from a hospital that is widely regarded (or used to be) as a premier hospital. This place is a joke.
Hershey Medical Center has sharply declined over the past 15 years.
I realize after spending that much time in the waiting room that 95% of the people that come to the ER, do not have an actual emergency. It's things that could wait for a doctor appointment or they just don't have insurance. Technically my wife fell into this category, however with the problems affecting her vision, we didn't want to mess around and wait.
I spoke to five health care professionals about my father's situation. Responses ranged from blame shifting to passive aggressiveness.
My father was dying, was known for being an interesting personality, and I as the eldest son attempted to be the voice of reason for assuring my father made the transition from treating his cancer to easing his pain. Among my experiences with the staff at Penn State:
Emergency room: They take their good old time. Act like high school students talking bad about patients in earshot. Stand there talking and laughing to eachother while waiting for someone to do their job. Don't know how to stitch someone up. Place is going downhill.
When dealing with end of life issues; one mistake is too much. Hershey Medical Center made several and are unapologetic about it. Nothing in their behavior indicates to me that they are interested in fixing it. This hospital is not worth the risk of entrusting the care of a dying loved one.
My wife was having issues with dizziness and pressure/pain in her head which was now affecting her vision. So being life, limb, or eyesight, I took her to the ER instead of waiting to get a doctor appointment. After sitting in the waiting room for 5 hours she still had not been seen by anyone, we left.
Awesome hospital. Took my son in last night 11/26/17. Nurses and doctors were wonderful. Treated us great and took the time to listen and talk to us.
Despite informing two nurses of our want to have a doctor come in to break the news, with family members present; we waited several hours for a doctor to come in and be completely non-committal. He either never read the previous doctor's notes, or the previous doctor hadn't made them.
Dislike throwing all staff away because we had terrific care through decades and our entire family. Really helpful people at Patient Relations and various departments, terrific psych department. Loved Hershey. Had a 3 year nightmare where doc after doc after doc bailed instead of standing up for a kid's care. Crazy stuff- after a certain point, no one- and we contacted administration allllll the way up- responded. We made countless attempts to problem solve in a positive way and were flatly ignored by all except patient relations- they tried and seem to be shut down. One doc? Began following me around OUTSIDE of the center, behind our backs, while we used the resources there, ' testifying' on PERSONAL matters ( which were not true. ) Like being in a bad movie. Whatever is ' wrong ' there, please be careful. Good, professional, compassionate care is there. Not for our kid but we saw it directed towards others.
No family member ever received a clear picture of my father's condition, my father never gave a clear picture of what they told him, and his poor decision making had him fighting an unbeatable battle with cancer. Much of this could have been avoided if just one health care professional had the courage to cut through the bureaucracy or follow up on a commitment.
Penn State Health Milton S Hershey Medical Center is a US Hospital based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Penn State Health Milton S Hershey Medical Center is located at 500 University Dr, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
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