#stairfall

But I cannot stop thinking about St. Mary’s, which I am missing now a surprising amount. It was different than any hospital experience I’d had before. I’ve been admitted to hospitals in four states, but they were almost always acute care units in major university-affiliated medical centers. The nurses were handling IV lines and unpredictable schedules for every patient, and trainee doctors at every level would be in and out of the room all day. The noise and the busyness was always a little overwhelming, and I was usually there for something serious enough that it was important for me to be there.

St. Mary’s was different. There was a daily schedule, so I had a sense of the shape of my day. The nurses and therapists were divided into teams that communicated, so people were generally on the same page. I got a real sense that the patient consistently came first, and not just as a medical problem to be solved, but as a person. And there was a “no-pass” policy that anyone passing a door with a call light on should check in on the patient and let the appropriate person know what was needed. There was a really good unit-wide culture. The only nurse I didn’t really like was filling in from a different floor.

I think some of the difference is the type of unit that I was on, but I think some of it was just the approach of a community hospital compared to a big teaching hospital. They might not do all of the fanciest procedures in town, but they do concern themselves with patient care. I would recommend them to friends and family.

I wonder what’s going to happen to such hospitals in the future. With the trend of corporate centralization in health care, thanks to the ACA and other forces, I wonder if these hospitals will suffer. Or maybe not; St. Mary’s is part of the “Dignity Health” network of hospitals already. Whatever the case, I left with a greater appreciation for what community hospitals can be.