Andrew West

Review of St. Charles Medical Center BEN...

My wife and I have both had major surgeries here o...

My wife and I have both had major surgeries here over the last few years. I find the doctors to be quite professional. However, nursing staff was pretty bad a few years ago. It has since improved dramatically. It seems they were going through some major staffing problems and trying to get nurses to cover multiple shifts stacked on top of each other. That led to nurses taking on up to 20 patients at a time. That has thankfully ended. Unfortunately, we both experienced the same thing in the recovery room. My wife waited 12 1/2 hours for a clean room to be moved into. I only waited 4 hours. Each time we were told by the nursing staff that they had no one to clean the rooms even though they were empty. I inquired why and they said that the local motels pays better than St. Charles. Who would want to clean a hospital room for less than a hotel room? It just shows a general lack of priorities here.
Lastly, I was in for hip replacement. I did expect to be put in a hospital room that was at least somewhat ADA compliant. It was not. Very hard to get around and the bathroom was a nightmare. Short toilet with a grab bar that was actually behind the toilet instead of along side it. The nurse said I was lucky since many of the room were much more poorly designed. In one room you had to put your walker in the shower to get on the can. In another there was barely enough room to move the gurney in to transfer to the bed. I am told that the new wing is actually much better. Not sure why they put their orthopedic patients in rooms they can not navigate properly. A major renovation is definitely called for here. I guess they are waiting for the eventual lawsuit before they proceed.