[Carotid]

our emergency departments are the last departments in most hospitals to see renovation DESPITE tremendous "seasonal" increases in wait times and those who "leave prior to treatment" because emergency departments across the nation (get this) DON'T MAKE MONEY!!!! WONDER WHY WE HOLD PATIENTS ON AN ENDLESS CYCLE? WE DON'T MAKE MONEY FOR THE HOSPITAL!!! do you all see a "deal with it" subliminal message coming from your administration when requests are made for nursing help, or when you seek renovation to underutilized areas to hold patients waiting for admission?
Gee, i wonder why the OR gets the most technologically advanced systems for patient care when we have to rely on a Zoll monitor for rhythm strips for the hallway patients?
if you wonder why, follow the $$$ folks. medicaid just ain't payin', and certainly the self payers aren't.


o.k. off the soap box now....

Carotid

Supplying Oxygen-Rich Blood To Billions Of Brains Globally

[TazziRN]

I agree. All the new equipment in our place is going to the OR and L&D, but the ER and ICU are last to get stuff.

[grammyr]

I know the feeling well. Our ED has been "in the plans" for renovation for 4 years. It hasn't happened yet. This year was supposed to be the year, but the powers that be decided to renovate patient rooms at a cost of $20,000 each first, then if any money left we may get new beds. It really ticks me off that we are the stepchildren of the place and most of the admits come through our department.

[Marie_LPN]

We have the opposite problem. Our ER is the first dept. that gets the renovations. Why, just last month, TVs were installed in all the rooms, one of OUR call rooms was knocked out to make more ER space (oh heck no, we don't need a place to sleep when it snows in..).

Yet all of our sinks are still slow draining and our floors look like **** because they need stripped.

(

[cmp06]

On a personal note, as being a patient i can attest to what you are all talking about. About 1.5 years ago, I go into the ER for extreme pain on my right side, and into my back. I have great insurance, and had been to this hospital about 3 months ago for a out patient operation, and paid them in full when I was discharged. I walked in the door (that did not open even though it was an automatic door) and "checked -in" this was at about 3:15 pm. I sat for a while, stood for a while, went back after about 2 hours of waiting and asked how much longer...was told only about another hour (mind you this entire time I could not stand up striaght) I WAS FINALLY SEEN BY SOMEONE AT MIDNIGHT... when i walked through the hallway i saw one room that was just stuffed with equiment and signs that said "does not work, do not use, out of order"....made me kind of wonder???? continued to wait, did blood work and finally went to have a sonagram done on my side (suspected GB problems) and when I got there..I thought the tech was going to kill the machine because the screen was screwing up, and there was tape on the cord....and this was a newly renovated hospital....was admitted w/ a perferated GB at a little after 2. My "room" was amazing...nice new tv...wonderful comfy bed (for a hospital) new tile in the bathroom and fresh paint in the rooms....I feel your pain on this one ladies...and I was only the patient.... when i was in the ER i wondered how many other rooms were stuffed with broken things that made the rooms unuseable.....

[JBudd]

We're starting a renovation this summer! 5 million so far dedicated to it. Only problem is, when we expand so greatly there still won't be any more ICU/CCU beds available than we have now. Can you say "here for the night"!