How do I even write this review? For such an awful life event, it was an overall good experience.
The hospital is small, but quiet. It is kept clean and all of the staff are friendly.
They have a great little coffee shop right next to the elevators, though a bit pricey. The front doors are locked after a certain hour at night and you have to enter through the ER, which can be a bit of a walk back to the elevators. The security sitting at the front always wave and say hello.
The cafeteria is large and has great food! The chicken quesadilla was my favorite and the french fries were always great!
The "spiritual room" was a bit different. It was just a room with a few chairs and a large backlit photo of water on the wall. But, it was comfortable and a good play to get away to think and/or pray.
My dad was coming to NNSMC for blood & platelet transfusions for multiple weeks this past year and was always treated with care and respect by the nurses/staff.
Most recently, we brought him in to the ER as we unfortunately knew he would ultimately be passing soon. The ER was quiet and not busy. While there, again, he received great care. The doctor understood our need to bring him in and he explained what the process would look like once he was admitted upstairs. The doctor was kind and compassionate towards our situation and I am grateful for his care. At one point, as we waited for him to be transferred upstairs, they moved him to a larger room in the ER so that friends and family could come see him.
Once upstairs, I was amazed by the way the various staff took care of him.
They made sure he was comfortable and they brought us (family/friends) bowls of snacks and drinks. One of the CNAs even brought in a bunch of chairs from the waiting room since there were so many of us present. They were completely unbothered by the amount of visitors, which was so appreciated. Four of us stayed the night with my father for the duration of his stay and they brought in extra sleep chairs for us. The nurses made sure my father was well cared for and comfortable as well as ensuring we had everything we needed. They were empathetic to our situation and were a listening ear to all of our concerns and multitude of questions.
We had a few nurses that weren't quite as attentive as we would have preferred, but they usually came when we requested.
My main complaint - the case manager that first visited us on the weekend was short, pushy, and unempathetic. We came to the hospital for a reason and we almost lost my father the day he went into the ER. However, because they decided he wasn't "actively dying" (though he clearly was), they began to push hospice on us. We had absolutely no desire for him to return home on hospice for a variety of reasons, but we felt that desire was pushed to the side and it was almost as if we didn't get a choice. Thankfully because it was the weekend, nothing could happen anyway. Later in the week, we were visited by an actual hospice representative and they actually listened to our concerns and respected our decision to stay in the hospital.
To name a few amazing staff:
Kaelin 3rd floor night shift nurse - Kaelin was incredible. She was patient with our millions of questions, she checked in frequently, and ensured my dad had everything he needed. She was gentle and kind. She would sit and listen to us vent and ramble when we didn't know what we even needed. She made jokes that were always appropriately timed, when laughs were much needed. She was respectful to my father and genuinely cared.
Nanette 3rd floor day shift cna - Nanette was on top of her game the entire time. She was the only CNA that ensured my dad's bed was frequently changed, he was repositioned, etc. She never missed a beat and was on time with everything.
Heather in the 3rd floor infusion center - I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to this woman for the care she gave my father. She was with him the most during his blood transfusions and she continued to check in on him/us during that week in the hospital. She made his visits as comfortable as possible and was so kind to him. She made him laugh often, which I love. She was a listening ear to me when I had a million questions about the process of his medicine and passing. She let me cry and vent when I needed and she never seemed bothered. She truly was the epitome of a great nurse. Like Kaelin, she was respectful and genuinely cared for my father. I can't imagine going through any of this without her.
When the time came and my father passed, the process was smooth. The charge nurse wasn't as empathetic as I felt he could have been, but he did listen to our requests and allowed there to be time for me and my daughter to get there in the middle of the night before doing anything.
Overall, the care my father received was wonderful and I'm thankful this was where my mom chose to bring him. My family was treated with respect, dignity, and compassion. read more