Sentara Albemarle Medical Center, Elizabeth City, NC Review

The rating would be a 5 had I not have been in University Of Alabama Hospital In Birmingham.. Albemarle has taken great care of me for the last 4 years, or during the time I have been in the area.. I have a kidney transplant and this hospital has preformed stellar work in caring for me. I also had a blood in my right lung. They found it and took care of it immediately.
Prior to this, I arrived at their doors severely dehydrated., in fact, my heart stopped in the ambulance.. They took excellent care and I am still umpiring baseball till this day.

These reviews are unbelievable! My mom was taken there by ambulance in December. The care she receieved was phenomal! The nurses were some of the most attentative I have ever seen. She was on vacation here, and ended up at the hospital. Her cardiologist in Tennessee (where she lives) even praised the medical staff at sentera. I wouldn't hesitate to go myself or take my children there.

I delivered my daughter here a few months ago. I am giving two stars because there was a wonderful lactation consultant, Dr. Stevenson was great, and a few nurses were attentive and kind. However, when I arrived at the hospital at 6cm dilated with my mom, the nurse was rude and condescending. She asked Where s your husband? The entire time of my labor I felt like I had to kiss up to her in order to receive proper care and be treated kindly. It seemed like her style was to act cold and standoffish. Her name was Sarah and I hope she gets some vacation time or perhaps moves into a new profession. Giving birth should not be a time when a woman feels she has to defend herself, kiss up to someone, or fear that she will be treated poorly. When I look back on my experience there I can t help but see it with a dark cloud floating over it. Additionally, the rooms feel like prison cells and there is no room for someone to stay with you overnight. The second night I stayed, there was one other person in the L&D unit and the nurse seemed so overwhelmed and hardly came to check on me- even when I called several times.

On September 13, 2020 I went to the emergency room about 8 p.m. staff was wonderful, the doctor, (wonderful) said if you are still hurting we going to admit you. Transport to CT Scan, transport. I was admitted put on 3rd floor, pleasant and wonderful nurses, the dr came in about 2 am talk with me, nurse came in talk with me. On September 14th the nurses on the 3rd floor, staff for transport, staff working stress test area, the doctors involved in my care, kitchen staff, Billie (Dr White office) may I take the time to thank you all for the care I received. You were wonderful, kind, answer questions, willing to help.

I completely believe it. There is a saying about Albemarle Hospital.....If you want to live....GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!

Wife took my 2 year old son there to get his foot looked at after an accident that he had. They decided that because he was crying that they didn't want to do and X-ray on it. They sent him home and said he was fine. Just took him to the ER in Chesapeake where the did an X-ray and found that he had a broken foot!!!!! Horrible care!!!

This Sentara spoils the name Sentara
Anytime I ve gone to any other Sentara place they are all friendly and professional.
Here the staff is rude, they don t listen
The staff in the Orthopaedic department as well. This whole hospital should be thrown away....start fresh because also if you re an adult with an invisible disability save yourself and don t go here! You ll leave here feeling depressed and maybe even suicidal. This place shouldn t even be around they have no respect for people with invisible disabilities,And make you feel as if just because they can t see something wrong, that there s truly nothing wrong.

Grant-Orthopaedic and the entire ER staff should all have a month or longer education on handling people who have trouble communicating.
I m tired of feeling bad just for needing medical help.

Go to Virginia or anywhere else just not ELIZABETH CITY
9-25-18

On 7/15/20, I went into the ER and Brandon A Boyd diagnosed me with tonsillitis. He gave me a prescription for meloxicam , which is normally used for arthritis. I had to call back and ask him to give me a prescription for Penicillin or amoxicillin to kill the bacteria. This is something he should have done in the first place. I feel sorry for patients that trust and do not question his decisions.

Took my wife in Friday night for a BP of 217/120 severe head ache. The nurse that checked her in was great but we were told it could be hours before she could be seen. Sat down looked around...man with a ace bandage coming loose a small child with a stomach ache people coughing sneezing sleeping...nothing that appeared to be as serious a Stroke Watch .
We left before we caught something. I should have taken an extra 45min an gone on to Chesapeake

Went to ER at 11pm, walked out at 3:15 am. I was seen right away. Severe pain in stomach, hynial hurnia. After normal blood and other test they gave me meds that stopped pain. Got Cat scan and Dr said could be gall bladder issue so had ultrasound. Nurse said taking results to Dr and he will go over with me. 3 hours later still waiting. Looked like only 1 ER doctor. WORST service, no one checked on me unless I buzzed them. So buzzed them and told nurse I was leaving and will have my primary DR get results from them. I left. No one should have to wait that long, just give me the results and send me home. Very under staffed with Doctors in the ER. The nurses however where nice and friendly but recommend if can make it to Chesapeake VA. hospital, go there!!

The ER Reception area was loud and people were eating meals with children. I was told I could take a picture of my dad who was sick yet they reported me to security for filming. There appeared to be animosity among the PA and the nurses on the 3rd floor. I just felt really unsure if my dad was getting really good care . I'll try again today.

Thank God on May 6th, I was seen in the ER right away. I was admitted, given IV Antibiotics and had surgery on May 8th for severe axillary infection. The OBX Urgent Care in the Marketplace should've recognized the severity of my case and sent me to the hospital!

Worst hospital....do not go here.
There are so many reason why this hospital sucks. I can t even begin to explain...
I don t understand why this place is still open and I m sure many people are taking some form of legal action against them. All the bad reviews are on point, they are 100% accurate.
So please take this as a warning and don t go there.

Went in with back pain no one cares left with worse pain and no one care what kind of Hospital is this that that don't care if you are in pain what is the world coming to people care more about animals then that do about people

Sorry not a four Star. My Granddaughter went there today on Mother's day. They said she didn't brake her arm. When in fact she did. Thanks so much. Should send this hospital the bill. Or a Attorney.

Sent home with no medicine, doctor said nothing wrong with me. Then I find out I have the flu and if I had got a booster shot within the first 48 hours it could have been alleviated. If only the ER had made an effort to run a simple test, I would feel much better and would not be sick for two extra weeks. :(

I brought my son in for a busted lip because he needed sutures. ER staff took people in first come first serve. We sat for about 2 hours watching people who had a cough or wanted to be seen for medicine before their insurance ended. While my son sat in the lobby bleeding. WHAT HAPPENED TO TRIAGE. HORRIBLE HOSPITAL AS ALWAYS. Sentara buying this place did nothing to improve it. Run from this place or have someone carry you. I personally am disgusted and shame on you ER staff and admin at Albemarle Hospital.

I have been in the emergency room 5 times in the last 9 days for back pain. Usually after midnight. Often they were very busy. Sometimes people who came in after me, got seen ahead of me. They triage, I don't, so I assume they handled this properly. Except for one incident, I have had excellent care each time. Although busy, everyone I had contact with was caring, patient, continually asked if I need anything more, or if my concerns were answered.
Everytime I returned, they escalated treatment to control my problem. I agree with their approach in my situation.
I discussed the one problem I had with the patient advocate. I believe she took it seriously.
I can only speak for my experience, but I rate them at 5 stars.
Rich C

Usually don't have a good experience with this hospital but tonight I had an excellent Dr and nurse, Dr Lennon is very good at his job and thorough. The nurse was very kind and helpful.

This has gone straight back to a drive by hospital since Sentara has taken over. Too many issues to type.

Wife has been at albemarle so far for a total of 5 hours and counting, just to get her ear cleaned. Was told an hour ago that the doctor is having an issue cleaning it, so there is a possibility that she has been there all this time for nothing. This hospital is absolutely awful, took over 4 hours just for them to get in there to attempt to clean it out. This hospital has became even worse since the merge with sentara.

STAY AWAY if you want to live or continue to be healthy! Too many of my family members have gone there only to develop serious infections or died because of complications stemming from their doing. Drive somewhere else. Do NOT go to this hospital. A patient-first type of place is better qualified to perform brain surgery than this hospital is to diagnose a fever. Your opinion as a layperson is more dependable than their attempts to diagnose.

I was born here on July 23 1975. Even though I lost my mom on September 16 1990 I know the staff & doctors did everything they could to keep her here. They have always had wonderful loving care staff & medical treatment.

My Dad is a frequent flyer at this hospital with dementia related issues. In the past year we've probably been there 6 times. There is some waiting, which is to be expected. But the staff overall has been friendly, attentive and caring. We are grateful.

This place is the Worst. I had an appointment made at this hospitals rehabilitation department, and I was running a little late. I was told as long as I arrive by a certain time, then I could be seen. So I arrived, in that approved time frame and was told that I could not be seen. I drove all the way from Virginia. This place is a joke, you should not play around with peoples lives like that.

The prenatal ultrasound is really disappointing. I went for my first ultrasound it took an hour just to be seen and had to wait in the main lobby/entrance. They said they dont print pics of your lil growing baby. They dont even show you the screen and spend 5 mins adjusting the monitor away from you when you just had 30 oz. of water as instructed. Then during this virus outbreak they informed me if I want pics of my baby from that visit I'll have to call medical records and request them then come back to the hospital.... expose me and my unborn baby again just so I can see my baby or show my loved ones. I was so upset when I left there. I even had horrible anxiety about having to come back for another ultrasound when I am further along.

First one positive comment. There are some great folks there who try to do a good job and are what you d expect in health care. To them my sincere thanks. My overall experience was very poor because of inadequate floor staffing and a non responsive Hospitalist (Dr). This caused a lot of stress and ultimately led to being moved to a different hospital for treatment.

Stay far away. They will tell you they are in your network, then slam you with Bill's from out of network quacks. Should be illegal, sure sentara is making a nice hustle from this practice. Enjoy the three grand you stole from me, it will be your last. Go to obx or Chesapeake gen.

I went in a few nights ago because I had heard a loud pop in my knee and fell straight down immediately. After sometime waiting they came got me and did an x-ray found nothing. After a few hours of waiting in the room a nurse came in told me nothing was found on the x-ray. I requested an MRI and was denied immediately. I'm going to the hospital in edenton nc for an mri and if they tell me what I already know by doing the mri I will bring a lawsuit against Albemarle medical center for lack of treatment for a serious injury

Sentara HR:
During a phone call 2017-07-11, Isis, the Charge Nurse in the ER, was hostile, belligerent, rude, combative, & threatening. She interrupted me throughout the entire conversation, among many other things, before threatening "2 press charges" b/c I asked 4 her name & its spelling--both of which she was quite reluctant 2 give, only so b/c of my insistence due 2 the appalling encounter.
I can tell she's passionate abt. her work & cares 4 the rules & procedures of Sentara Albemarle; in that vein, however, she does not exemplify ur mission nor is her temperment seemingly suitable in a patient care setting--especially 1.) 1 requiring the level-headedness needed in the ER, & 2.) where Isis's influence in a supervisory role may negatively effect the staff &/or overall ER Environment.
My hope is that this opportunity to improve her performance will be used 2 its fullest advantage. Isis's manner is starkly out of character when compared 2 others @ Sentara w/ whom I've worked, met, or become acquainted.
Please consider these concerns, & do your best to help Isis rise to her potential.
Best,
JCC

I really don't want to rate this, as I haven't been, but as I am researching the area for good medical facilities and doctors and after reading these reviews, I am very concerned about where to go to get medical treatment if needed in an emergency. So, my rating is for "disliking" these reviews! I can't believe after reading these reviews that this hospital is still open, especially after reading the incident of where the person died from the lack of knowledge and care. Are there any good places to go more medical treatment? Are there any good doctors in the area of Camden County or Currituck County, for a Primary Care doctor or Family doctor??

I was recently hospitalized for a stroke. The 3rd floor nursing staff is fantastic and do everything possible to make you feel comfortable and secure. Food service staff is respectful and do everything possible to ensure you are happy with your meal! Imaging staff treated me exceptionally well. My entire experience was a positive one in a time of despair. Major improvements within the past year!!! I thank all who treated me!!! You are fantastic at your jobs!

Goodness. Where do I start? I read the reviews contained here and just had to shake my head. One of the most accurate reviews stated the staff is extremely overworked. That is absolutely true.
2 or 3 of them were completely bogus and obviously made up by people with nothing better to do than slander the reputation of our only major medical facility.
What most people don't take into consideration is the sheer volume of people that move through the ER each and every day. ER stands for EMERGENCY ROOM. However, it is not being used by people with emergencies. People go there for sunburns, or after 3 months they decide the toe that hurts needs to be looked at that day, or someone has cramps and comes in on an ambulance. Because of our healthcare system the majority of people in the ER are using it as their primary physician, NOT an emergency medical facility.
So before you throw stones please consider that 100s of people are going to come through that ER in ONE day, 99% of them will not be emergencies. But guess what people? They ALL have to be assessed, seen by nurses who are worked to death, and then treated.
So if you are there for something like a sunburn or you have an upset stomach GO TO A DOCTORS OFFICE or the walk-in clinic and quit clogging up the ER. That is the only way that wait times are going to be shortened.
And to the person who wants the personnel to come out and tell you WHY you're having to wait so long, I just listed it for you. Because the person who came in with the heart attack, or the automobile accident, or the stabbing, is being worked on by people trying to save their life and the other rooms are full of people with stubbed toes, the flu and sunburns.
Let the people with the real life and death situations be taken care of the way they need to be taken care of and go to the places that are for the non-urgent issues.

We were here for 3.5 hours... Finally I had to leave because I had no other choice. But I still have no idea what is wrong. I saw the doctor for not even 5 minutes and they took a couple swabs. And then we wasted our time waiting. Very disappointed in this place. I will be going to Portsmouth naval for now on and I'll make sure my other military friends in the area know not to go here unless they have an endless amount of time.

Went in to the ER for extreme pain in my gut only to be diagnosed with acid re-flux. My wife and I insisted this was not the case and had to insist they do a CT scan. The CT scan showed several gallstones as we had feared. Doctor told us to just get the prescription for acid re-flux as he was sure that was the problem. The next day we went to a general surgeon who said I had to get immediate surgery for a severe case of an infected gallbladder. he actually had to move other scheduled patients to get me in for surgery. So, first strike, misdiagnosis by ER doctor.

Flash forward to bills coming in. Waterway Physicians sends the standard "this is not a bill" statement for my insurance and then eventually I get an actual bill. As I was doing with the other half dozen bills associated with my surgery, I sent them an aggressive payment towards the total. Little did I know that Waterway Physicians doesn't accept a "payment plan" and that the bill must be paid in full or you go into collections! How did I find out? When I got the call that I was in collections and needed to pay the balance in full! So I paid the last $1000 dollars on the bill emptying my HSA account to do it. I also took a 140 point drop on my credit score because of this! Still waiting on the letter from collections that my debt is satisfied. Strike Two.

Finally, when making my agreed to payments for my other bills, the clerk suggested i speak to a counselor about what happened. So i did. Come to find out, we may just qualify for a reduction in charges. I asked why they had not given me that option 6 months ago. She replied that they are not allowed to tell patients about that in NC, but in VA they let you know! What the hell?! Also found out that if I had come to the counselor FIRST I could have included Waterway Physicians in a payment plan!!! Strike three.

I will take the chance on the drive to Chesapeake to get real care from here on out. This is sad because I live 1 mile from Albemarle Hospital.

The wait was extremely too long sat over an hour to be seen

I was seen immediately with chest pains. All nurses and staff were professional, friendly and knowledgeable. Truly felt that the staff genuinely cared about my health and wellbeing.

I was having a lot of issues breathing coughing and wheezing for about a week now and my inhaler wasn't working. My chest and my back hurt from struggling to breath and one of my ears is clogged up. I wasn't happy that the guy who came in after me got back to a room before me for the same issue. So I had to wait for MINOR care!!!! I waited for quite awhile once I got into an exam room for the doctor who was out in the hallway complaining about the patients and chit chatting with the nurse. Not to mention the doctor is very fond of using the f word! When he finally came into my room he actually told me that he came into the room and I wasn't there. I told him I was there the whole time! Where was I going to go? I couldn't even breath! This hospital needs to get real doctors in there that care more about their patients!!!

I wish I could give 0 stars. I took my 6 year old son to get evaluated due to being on the wrong meds. I told them exactly what I needed from them for my child. After hours of just sitting and them putting him on 24 hr watch they put an order for involuntary commitment. HE IS 6 YEARS OLD!!! They banned all visitors from seeing him including me his mother when I am the one who tried to get him help in the first place and have deputies 24 hours outside his door that he cant come out of and only coloring and TV is allowed. Again....he is a child. They are trying to send him to a facility 3 hours away without my consent. All I tried to do was adjust his meds. And they want to hold him for nothing and days because they don't have the right staff or specialists until Monday. NO ON CALL SPECIALISTS? THIS HAS BEEN A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR OUR WHOLE FAMILY AND MY 6 YEAR OLD SON WILL REMEMBER THIS ALWAYS AS HE GROWS. NEVER EVER TRY TO GET THEM TO HELP YOU. THEY WILL TURN AGAINST YOU AND TAKE YOUR CHILD AGAINST YOUR WILL.

Dr manly was Exceptional with a great nursing staff.

Went up for groin pain they said looks fine then released me, then the next day I passed out from groin pain. This hospital is trash every time I go up they never find what s wrong I suggest stay away.

Heard a story today about this guy coming to this hospital about chest pains and they keep sending him home saying that he was fine and they found nothing wrong, So he goes to Virginia and turns out he has congestive heart disease but it was to late...poor guy died wasting his time on these clowns

Always a pleasant experience! Medical care is not always perfect for numerous reasons as some would think; however, the staff is great and that goes a long way. Your care is often a direct reflection of your attitude and communication with your treatment provider. Those that dont like the local facilities have obviously not had the same experience. Perhaps driving to chesapeake or greenville is their best option.

The hospital has improved three-fold, but not without some growing pains. We moved here 6 years ago and had a visit to the ED on night one of our first night for our son (not a gpod experience), but it has got better.
As in most jobs, not all people that work in Healthcare, should, but I think the real issue (based on the complaints of non-life threatening ear pain, flu, and long wait times (to name a few)), the real issue is coming from the lack of a patient's personal responsibility to establish a primary care provider for non-emergency situations and the county to bring in more primary care providers to this socially economically challenged area.

I went in for a mammogram. The staff were courteous and professional.

I went to the ER about 3 weeks ago ago. I was in severe pain in my stomach and abdomen. They done a CT scan and found my appendix was swelling. They kept me that night and RELEASED me the next morning. Came home, pain was still very bad and decided to go to Norfolk Sentera...got there at 1130pm they took me straight back, done another CT and my appendix was still swelling. Next thing i knew i was going in the OR. Needless to say I WILL NEVER go back to Albemarle for anything. They should not have sent me home...my appendix could have ruptured and caused alot more problems.Sentara Norfolk handled it very well and i am doing great! My incisions have healed quite nicely. Just beware and get a 2nd opinion on anything they say!

I gave birth there Oct 30th to my first child, she was delivered by Dr. Moser and she was excellent and very nice ! All the nurses were accommodating and very friendly. Nurse Amy was funny and made me laugh, and the lactation nurse Brenda was excellent! And very friendly

This post is not about quality of care - it is about pricing. My doctor ordered 3 tests. Albemarle Sentara cost for a lumbar xray is $427 (this is the discounted amount through my insurance company), The same xray at Suffolk Sentara (the SAME hospital system) is $108. The medicare reimbursement rate is $58. It is much easier to look up medical care pricing now - Why would anyone use this hospital with these outrageous prices?

WORST HOSPITAL EVER for multiple reasons a couple are the employees from doctors to techs are unprofessional, you will wait FOREVER no matter how busy they are, and you will most likely be misdiagnosed. Take the time to drive a little further for better care.

Absolutely the worst care i have ever recieved. Made my child birth a nightmare and treated me extremely poor after my baby was born.

All doctors, nurses and staff have excellent bedside manners however professionally they do not know what they are doing. Patients are at risk. Doctors and Cardiologist do not see the patient in a timely fashion.

My wife is in so much pain and they just kicked me out cause im upset with what they have no clue, dont waste your life here

Brought my grandfather in for a very bad cough and fluid around lungs at 8 am and i am still here at 3 pm this place is ridiculous y all need to do something about yalls service

there has to be some kind of federal medical board to go thru this hospital and get rid of all the none caring staff. if u there just for a check. leave go somewhere else. I was in waiting room lips turning blue from asthma. She still told me have a seat. was admitted for two weeks asthma and pneumonia. that's why I go to edenton or Chesapeake.

I was hospitalized here for a few days for a broken ankle. They had to do surgery and kept me a couple days. They put two plates and a number or screws to fix it. The surgery went very well and I couldn t have asked for a better surgeon. I felt comfortable while I was there. All the nurses and doctors were nice and informative. I was taken to Chowan first and they were going to put me, stretcher and all, in the waiting room. So the ambulance took me to Albemarle because they had a room/bed for me. I m very glad that I ended up going to Albemarle because everything went amazing.

I typically do not write reviews for anyone or any institution. However, with the treatment my sister received while undergoing care at Sentara Albemarle Medical Center calls for attention. To preserve her privacy and integrity, I will not disclose details. What I will say is that the physician treating her did not abide by the "commitments" Sentara advertises. The physician did not treat her with "dignity, respect, and compassion." Rather, he treated her as less than a person, dismissive and judgmental in acknowledging her health history, and made very little effort to provide comfort. Unfortunately, this facility is the only hospital available to many, so it is my hope that administration begins to heed dreadful reviews. I certainly hope this physician did not treat other patients in the same manner in which he treated my sister. NO PATIENT SHOULD EVER FEEL LESS THAN A PERSON AND MADE TO CRY AS A RESULT, ESPECIALLY UNDER THE CARE OF A MEDICAL INSTITUTION! I will say the nurse that provided her care was stellar; therefore, this review receives 2 stars. The nurse receives 5 stars. This particular doctor could use some of the nurse's advise on bedside manner and proper treatment of patients.

I have been misdiagnosed SO many times in the ER at Albemarle Hospital! I hate going there, I don't feel I will be evaluated properly, not to mention the ridiculous amount of time I've had to wait to be seen and this is once I'm in the exam room! I've been misdiagnosed with several cardiac issues, abdominal hernias (that later were repaired), severe bladder infections (where I went to Norfolk General and was immediately admitted for IV antibiotics). I've also been accused of drug seeking, which is ridiculous! THE only reason I'll go there is when I absolutely can not tolerate a trip to Norfolk or I don't have the money to pay Uber (because I don't have a car). When a patient is misdiagnosed, or "labeled" it is read by another hospital and you are sterotyped! Thank God for my primary doctor at Norfolk General! She's told me numerous times not to go to Albemarle and I can't remember how many times I was seen by her after I was in the ER there and she diagnosed me immediately. It's ridiculous!

The care and the staff seemed knowledgeable, but horribly overworked. Went to the emergency room with my mother just before 5:00 and she didn't even get past blood testing until after 11:00 PM - the one test she came in for (that took about ten minutes, max) didn't happen until after 1:00 AM in the morning, and at 2:30 they said they were "moving her upstairs and admitting her, but today I learn she's still "hanging out with us" in one of the half-rooms in emergency. The place was NOT overrun with people... I have no idea what might have happened earlier in the day, but while we waited and waited and waited with others - the one thing that NEVER happened was anyone coming out to tell a patient what was taking so long, why it was slow - the sign said to come up and talk to them if you had been waiting more than an hour... sort of ironic.