By Pepper Parr
August 13th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Who was the employee at the Joseph Brant Hospital who told a patient waiting in the emergency area to “stop inter fearing” when she was asked if a blanket could be brought out for a women appearing to be in serious pain and shivering in the wheel chair?
Another patient waiting in the Emergency area saw the woman who was reported to be “shivering severely” and asked an attend walking by if she could get a blanket for the woman.
A hospital is a place where caring is all that really counts – everything flows from that.
The attendant paused and appeared to be about to walk on when the person that reported the behaviour to the Gazette said quite loudly “she needs a blanket” at which point the attendant got a blanket, wrapped it around the shivering patent and then said “stop inter fearing”.
The Joseph Brant Hospital is better than that. If the people working there can’t care for people – try finding another job.
The vast majority of the people who work at the hospital are caring people – this was an exception. It is the exceptions that do the damage
The Joseph Brant Hospital is better than that?? I don’t think so. They hire people by looks, not brains. Worse hospital ever. I’ll go out of my way and go to Oakville hospital. The best care ever.
Extremely bad personal experience about 10 years ago.
ER and subsequent care were laissez-faire.
Ended up literally crawling out of there on my hands and knees after their ‘care’.
And shoeless! Some kind soul stole my really nice shoes.
Highly recommend avoiding this establishment.
Does anyone have an update on the C. difficile outbreak from a few years back?
Public optics were absolutely horrendous.
While I am glad to have a community hospital and know there are many competent and caring staff members, I had the same experience as Lynn with my mother – a long ER wait, a misdiagnosis, a failure to listen to caregivers who knew the patient’s history and a medical staff who uses drugs, especially dilantin, to “control” elderly patients. Often drugs exacerbate symptoms and behaviour. I would never want someone I cared for in JBH without a caregiver with them as an advocate 24/7.
I had an acute abdomen on April 1st (really). Went to JBH and was treated extremely well by 2 ER RNs. After my surgery, same day, I went back to thank them for all that they had done. I don’t think that happens too much anymore.
The only complaining I remember was from 2 old men who kept asking for the TV remote, when was their CT being done and why was it taking so long.
The vast majority of hospitals are underserviced, overworked with minimum personal holidays due to Covid. Then add Covid as a major stressor. My experience was fantastic but even I know that anyone, patients, staff, healthcare professionals can have a bad day.
Editor’s note: The fact that this commenter is a licensed Dr. wouldn’t have had any impact on the treatment he got would it?
Agree with George. I have two horrendous experiences with JB ER and won’t ever forgive them for how my dad’s life ended, through several days of atrocious “care”. It’s common for people to say don’t go there in an emergency if you can help it.
It really is common for people to this. My sister had also had a bad experience with uncaring staff. Not happy hearing about people being overworked, that can contribute to the problem. But this sort of thing goes so far back, I also feel there needs to be a “cultural change made” and the construction phase, would have been a great opportunity to do just that.
We can vouch for that George from both personal and other professionals perspective.. There are many, ourselves included who will not not go to the JBH ER. Its not often we need ER attention but the first time in years was just a few months ago, Dave chose to go back to Burlington Urgent Care and then to Oakville Trafalgar for immense pain, only to discover there was a 4 hr. triage wait so our son took him to Hamilton General where it was 2 hrs.. He was treated in the main, with the utmost respect, promptly diagnosed (kidney stone) and dehydration and sent home that evening as it was small enough to pass. The last place he wanted to be was an ER in these times. All was well some 6 days later, thanks to a quick diagnosis, adequate pain medication and instructions on drink, drink, drink (good advice for all seniors who can tend to not drink enough) and a great urgent care doctor..
A few months ago we were in stage 3 and the CEO of JBH was in this very publication saying how the hospital was running at close to capacity.
For someone who say’s “The last place he wanted to be was an ER in these times.” why would he go to 3? especially when he was in such pain?
He only went to one Bob. There is an app that tells you the ER triage time which our son conferred with. An excellent urgent care doctor who diagnosed him without an MRI insisted he go to the ER which is the only place that had adequate test facilities to ensure one stop appropriate diagnosis and treatment ensuring she was not mistaken as if she was he could have suffered a ruptured appendix or worse. That is excellent use of urgent care and ER facilities and the kind of care we expect from all our health facilities especially when we keep clear of them except for true emergencies.
Then you were disingenuous in your comments
“ Dave chose to go back to Burlington Urgent Care and then to Oakville Trafalgar for immense pain, only to discover there was a 4 hr. triage wait so our son took him to Hamilton General”, that says he chose to go to BUC, one visit, then to OTH, 2 visits, then your son took him to the General, Thats 3
I have had my own experiences with JBH and am by no means advocating for them, but I’m a stickler for the facts and if we are going to criticize, let’s be at least correct in our criticism
Back to Burlington Urgent Care from our summer home in the Kawarthas.(Burlington is where our family were who could assist with driving etc.).
He never went to OTMH he diverted to Ham Gen after learning from an app that there was a 4 hr. triage wait. He was not driving our son was.
One urgent care visit and one ER visit as per doctor’s order who supplied her notes on her diagnosis also to save ER time in getting an MRI confirmation and discharge on meds for pain and to help pass the stone both of which were effective without taking up a urologists time or attention. That is good cost effective health care and a very grateful fully recovered patient one week later. That everyone should get tbis kind of care is what the goal is supposed to be, but as you can see from several comments apparently is not always the case at JBMH. Hope you never have to experience what many we know of have, end of story!
I have had a stone and spent an evening in emerg at JBH. Pain killers, saline drip unti sometime in the early hours I passed it, so I totally understand David’s pain.
I have had both fantastic care there, like my hernia surgery during the pandemic which was over and above exemplary to an experience with my wife going to emergency for a violent reaction to a new drug and being sent home because they weren’t familiar with the drug.
In regards to my first comment, your responses are confusing “ Burlington Urgent Care and then to Oakville Trafalgar for immense pain” was the original. Not BUC then online, it insinuates a trip.
Your last comment to clarify is even more confusing “ Back to Burlington Urgent Care from our summer home in the Kawarthas.(Burlington is where our family were who could assist with driving etc.).” That infers that his pain was not so bad that a trip from the Kawarthas to Burlington was in order and it would be quite understandable why that patient would be triaged after what the on staff health care workers deemed more important. That’s the whole point of triage, most important first. A trip from Kawarthas to Burlington, 2+ hours? A trip to BUC, you never mentioned how long you waited until you went home to phone Oakville Trafalgar and the Hamilton General, let’s say 1/2 hour minimum, then the 1/2 hour drive to Hamilton and the 2 hour wait…I think the triage nurse at JBH got it right in Dave’s case
Sorry that you are confused Bob. To clarify we never phoned OTMH Dave left Kawarthas for home before the pain became unbearable and understanding he needed to be in his community in case he needed emergency surgery so he could rely on his family rather than being on his own with a wife who is not driving at this time. Dave too had a great hernia experience at JB but that was when his family physician had privileges there (he has since retired) and ensured he did get good care. Anne too had a great unbearable pain experience in the JBER with Dr. Stempien (who she knew as a resident at McMaster where she worked years before – great doctor). Through his ordering an emergency MRI (really difficult to get at that time) she got her first diagnosis of a significant disability she was born with decades before and that helped her solve the pain problem and find a very respected specialist (again who she knew from McMaster) who understood this not so well known birth defect related to spina bifida so she can be as independent as possible, for as long as possible, regardless of being born with a significant disability, and doctors telling her parents she should be placed in an institution at 4 years of age. . However, 2 good versus 170+ well evidenced and documented bad experiences (including 90+ deaths of patients going in for knee surgery etc.) is not the kind of odds we would ever take when it can mean you live or die simply because you chose a hospital where you know there are significant care issues that thus far are unaddressed in terms of accountabllity in the public domain, just read the Gazette comments and you must remember most people do not comment who read the article., Dave has absolutely no regrets for the course of acton he and his sons took to ensure he made the quickest and best recovery possible, hope you are as wise if you ever need a quick diagnosis and treatment to deal with a health issue such as appendix, gall bladder, stones – Anne’s father died of a gangrenous gall bladder – his death was totally unnecessary – and at a relatively young age. Such was in the back of both our minds when Dave headed home from the Kawarthas.
Sorry, but Joseph Brant hospital does not have a good reputation for caring. In an emergency I would rather be taken to Hamilton or Oakville due to bad experiences with Joseph Brant. People I have spoken to who work at other hospitals tell me that Jospeh Brant does not have good standing amongst other hospitals. What happened here was very typical I’m afraid.