Let us not forget that Erlanger is a great hospital, and does many things right.
BUT you are right on with respect to the downtown emergency department. That is a disaster zone. The continuing failure to fix that problem is unacceptable. The CEO should use some of his millions in salary to fix it.
The ER at their Gunbarrel Road location is very good and to be chosen above the Baroness campus.
John Odom
Ooltewah
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To be sure, Erlanger often has a long waiting time for sprained ankles and fevers. But it has been my experience, literally, that when your life is in danger, you need to go to Erlanger.
The triage nurse has done a great job every time I've been, in my opinion. After falling 35 feet and crushing several vertebrae and multiple pelvic fractures the paramedics asked where I wanted to go. Are you kidding me? Erlanger is a Trauma Center.
When I went through those doors there were at least six, maybe seven or eight, people who were waiting with all kinds of gadgets instantly taking blood pressure, heart rate, inserting cathetors, breathing tubes, stomach pumps and starting IVs in both arms before they even asked my name. X-rays, CT scans blood typing-I couldn't have died if I wanted too.
So, yes it takes a while to get a bed if you're not critical, it's nerve wracking when your pain is your number one concern. But if you're in real trouble, there's no better place in Chattanooga to be than Erlanger ER.
Harry Presley
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I see the comments of both gentlemen above and agree with them. Gunbarrel is relatively new and therefore may be organized and staffed differently. Erlanger and other area hospitals have updated their ER facilities over the years with greater and lesser success. The facility at Erlanger is more or less boxed in on the corner, parking is difficult, etc.
It hasn't been that long since Memorial Hospital completely rebuilt their ER area. Problems? Difficulty parking. If you have to be admitted, depending on census, you may wait 12 hours or more for a room. There are two areas of most all hospitals that don't pay for the hospital to have, parking and storage. The last time I went to Erlanger [not ER] it took me 30 minutes to find a parking place in the garage and longer to get inside. I am handicapped and had to stop several times to rest as I was walking in with a walker. There were no handicapped spaces available.
Many ER problems could be easily solved if people stopped using the ER as their general [PCP] physician. I have a personal physician [internist]. When I am sick I call the office or the answering service. The on-call physician responds and will tell me whether or not to go to the ER. I think people in general actually know the difference between a real emergency and one that could be
resolved by a personal physician. I've heard the excuses and could refute most all of them.
For years I have felt that there should be a program for people who routinely use the ER for non-emergencies. Refer them to an office that looks at their total situation and educates them about using the ER for non emergencies. I believe that hospitals could actually save money by providing this evaluation and guidance. The option to continue the status quo of long waiting times and bills written off is going no where for the patient, the hospital, or healthcare.
Ted Ladd
Ooltewah