Visitor Goes to JFL Hospital and Reports Experience

Unfortunately it's not an uncommon occurrence and I went through the same thing on more than one occasion years ago at the ER in St Thomas.

You'd be better off going to a vet clinic than JFL Hospital.

Uh oh. I wonder if this article can be forwarded to the hospital as well as the board, usvi reps, and governor.

Don't get me wrong, I know they know the star of things. But maybe if this review, which is very well written, and sounds like it's written by someone who knows the hospital ins and outs, gets passed around and goes really viral, maybe just Mayne tonight light a fire under their butts.

Just a thought.

My guess is that the author of the piece has never had to go to a mainland city ER. Would have been better served calling a private physician/clinic. This happened on STX but at least on STT now (and maybe even on STX) there are a couple of private practices whose physicians are on call 24/7 for emergencies.

You'd be better off going to a vet clinic than JFL Hospital.

Some people do. Off the books, of course.

My guess is that the author of the piece has never had to go to a mainland city ER. Would have been better served calling a private physician/clinic. This happened on STX but at least on STT now (and maybe even on STX) there are a couple of private practices whose physicians are on call 24/7 for emergencies.

Hogwash. The author is from Boston. Most mainland city ERs do not have 8 - 24 hour wait times.

My guess is that the author of the piece has never had to go to a mainland city ER. Would have been better served calling a private physician/clinic. This happened on STX but at least on STT now (and maybe even on STX) there are a couple of private practices whose physicians are on call 24/7 for emergencies.

Hogwash. The author is from Boston. Most mainland city ERs do not have 8 - 24 hour wait times.

A friend of mine in NYC recently (in the past year) waited 7 hours before being seen. Between the bad accident victims, serious heart failure cases, etc. patients who weren't in immediate danger were continuously pushed to the side.

i was recently at the hospital. a very very severe reaction to a vitamin/supplement. i was in and out in under 2 hours start to finish. everyone was friendly and efficient. i guess it just depends on the day and time.

A friend of mine in NYC recently (in the past year) waited 7 hours before being seen. Between the bad accident victims, serious heart failure cases, etc. patients who weren't in immediate danger were continuously pushed to the side.

I'm not saying it can't happen. But it is not the norm. Having lived in and having friends in both Boston and NYC I can definitely say 7 hours is the long end.

My two visits to the ER on STX in the last year both took over a day. Which was time i could have just stayed home and recovered on my own which is pretty much what happened anyway.

A friend of mine in NYC recently (in the past year) waited 7 hours before being seen. Between the bad accident victims, serious heart failure cases, etc. patients who weren't in immediate danger were continuously pushed to the side.

Please compare JFL wait times to NYC averages.

The national average for waiting times is 28 minutes, while it takes about 37 minutes in NY (DC is 46 minutes!). The national average for time spent in a hospital altogether is 138 minutes, while it takes 155 minutes in NY; the average time patients with broken bones had to wait before receiving pain meds in the nation is 60 minutes, and just 63 minutes in NY; and the amount of time New Yorkers spend in hospitals before being taken to a room is 151 minutes, compared to 97 minutes for the national average.

http://gothamist.com/2013/12/21/find_out_what_emergency_rooms_have.php

OldTart is absolutely correct! Hospital through out the country do interesting things to keep the "reported" ER wait times down.

From excluding outliers from the reporting, to placing the bed in a bed and calling them an observation patient. Finatic: The numbers you are looking can easily be (and are) manipulated! And by the way, DC is NOT and average of 46 minutes, I know that's inaccurate, I used to work for the organization that owns most of DC's hospitals.

There are ways to speed up ER wait times, but it takes staff and money. Setting up a Quick Care type area helps a lot, they would then see the less critical patients. JFL simply doesn't have this money. But even with this, wait times can be, and quite often will be, horrible at any United States hospital.

I had my appendix rupture, actually ruptured, poison spreading throughout my body on Feb 22 of this year (2014). I went to the ER at 2pm. The triage nurse knew EXACTLY what was happening to me and put me in a room immediately. I waited another 8 hours for the surgery happen! They gave me a bunch of reasons for the wait...all lies. This happened in a hospital located in between Baltimore and DC.

Don't tell me it doesn't happen routinely in the mainland! Also, the reviewer says that they should have called someone...LOL..that's all I can say about that!

I stand by my statement. There are always stories of course that are the outliers of statistics at any facility. Reality is that JFL has a number of caring doctors and nurses with an equal number of uncaring and a handful of just plain surly tossed in for good measure. Add to that mix sub-par facilities and testing capabilities topped off with atrocious politics and you have the mess that is JFL.

I personally have experienced quite a few ER visits the last few years due to my health so I speak from experience. My experiences in DC, NYC, and Miami outshine JFL by leaps and bounds. My walk in my moccasins is my own experience.

Like someone else on this board (poster "Iris Tramm") I and my wife may have to leave the island soon due to health issues JFL is too scary to have address. I am sad as I always swore to spend my golden years on STX and scatter my ashes off the beach. But I am not yet old enough or ready to leave due to poor medical care. I also know I am not the only one making this decision. I have seen so many of my retired and semi-retired friends leave in the last two years for the same reason. It is what it is.

Sitting in the ER, I hear the people talking.
1. Some are there to dump off their elderly. (There are no nursing homes in Stx.)
2. Some are there to get a letter for work.
3.'some are there for check ups. Dept of Health does not answer the phone. So they use the hospital as a clinic. A clinic makes you pay. The ER doesn't. Federal law.
The VI has the highest percentage of uninsured people under the US flag. Our ER is bound to be filled,with bull.

The ER is clogged with people who don't have emergencies.

"But I am not yet old enough to be ready to stay with poor medical care."

My poor grammar error.

i thought there was a home for the aged on stx?

Herman Grigg Home for the Aged.

Herbert, not Herman

Herbert Grigg and Queen Louise on St Thomas are nursing care facilities that are not evaluated or accredited by CMS.They are operated by Human Services. I don't know how many beds there are on St Croix. Queen Louise has less than 20, I believe.

thank you eastender

all hospitals have both good and bad er experiences. ours is no exception. though things might change here soon for the worse

My guess is that the author of the piece has never had to go to a mainland city ER. Would have been better served calling a private physician/clinic. This happened on STX but at least on STT now (and maybe even on STX) there are a couple of private practices whose physicians are on call 24/7 for emergencies.

does anyone know the name of any drs. on stx who offer 24/7 emergency service?

My guess is that the author of the piece has never had to go to a mainland city ER. Would have been better served calling a private physician/clinic. This happened on STX but at least on STT now (and maybe even on STX) there are a couple of private practices whose physicians are on call 24/7 for emergencies.

does anyone know the name of any drs. on stx who offer 24/7 emergency service?

Island Animal Hospital. Better service, too.

My guess is that the author of the piece has never had to go to a mainland city ER. Would have been better served calling a private physician/clinic. This happened on STX but at least on STT now (and maybe even on STX) there are a couple of private practices whose physicians are on call 24/7 for emergencies.

does anyone know the name of any drs. on stx who offer 24/7 emergency service?

Island Animal Hospital. Better service, too.

.

does anyone know the name of any drs. on stx who offer 24/7 emergency service?

Seems maybe there is none.

does anyone know the name of any drs. on stx who offer 24/7 emergency service?

Seems maybe there is none.

Correct. No options for 24/7 other than waiting it out at JFL.