If you are suddenly stricken with an illness - and in need of a trip to Emergency - then avoid Spring Valley Hospital in Las Vegas like the plague. In fact, run the other way, if you value your overall health and well-being.
Based on my own personal experience - and after lending a sympathetic ear to others so situated - it has become evident that the facility on Rainbow Boulevard (there's only sh** at the end of this long-and-winding road) is being manned by poorly-trained, unprofessional medical staff, who are particularly ignorant about patient rights and the law of the land.
For instance, when one patient was admitted for severe stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and headaches, Doctor Timothy Vanduzer ordered a few tests but neglected to prescribe medicine to alleviate the patients severe pain.
When the ailing individual attempted to buzz the nurse to quiz her as to why no relief was forthcoming, the situation became more frusrating, for good reason.
The patient was hooked up to a machine and unable to alert her to the unfolding drama because the staff neglected to provide the tourist with a call button. At this juncture, the anxious patient was forced to scream for help.
Shortly after complaining to the charge nurse about the doctor's neglect, the physician retaliated against the stricken patient.
Uh-huh!
Dr. Vanduzer proceeded to issue discharge papers, in spite of the fact the patient was still bent over with severe stomach pain, loose stools, headaches, and nausea.
At this juncture, the patient asked the nurse to call an ambulance so that he could be admitted to another hospital for emergency care.
The rude hospital employee refused to comply with the patients request.
"You'll have to go out into the street and call one yourself," she snarled at the middle-aged gent.
Shocking conduct from a so-called medical professonal, wouldn't you agree?
"According to the rules of Medicare, I am entitled to appeal the discharge," the angry patient shot back.
At this point, instead of acknowledging the error in judgment, the unprofessional employee ploughed on.
"You do what you want," she hissed.
Talk about tacky insulting behaviour!
Other incidents have underscored that the staff that manage the emergency room at Spring Valley are not only clueless about the basics when it comes to professional medical care, but determined to spit in the face of anyone who tries to rectify the wrongs running rampant within the four walls.
For instance, when one nurse removed an IV from the arm of her charge, a bandage was not properly applied to the puncture wound. Consequently, a few minutes later, the patient found themselves swimming in a pool of blood. After-the-fact, both the nurse in question - and a technician - had difficult locating an appropriate band-aid to alleviate the distressing problem.
At the front door last night, I spied a downtrodden middle-aged man slipping out the front door with a dejected aura about him.
When quizzed, he angrily informed me that once he met with the nurses at the triage desk, they turned him away.
"Because I have bone cancer," he confided in me.
Say what?
Staff at Spring Valley hold the attitude that if a patient has a pre-existing medical condition - or a terminal illness - that any treatment would be a waste of their valuable time.
Shocking!
People with chronic illness occasionally experience "emergencies" that demand immediate medical attention, too. A compassionate professional would never turn them away
"They don't care if I file a complaint against them with the medical board because they know I only have a couple of months to live," he accused with a bitter tone in his voice.
When I noted that I was going to "tell his story" in my expose today, his face lit up for a second
"Thanks for that, buddy!"
Yeah, after what I witnessed last evening at that hell-hole (that tries to pass itself off as a top-notch provider of medical care) I am prepared to embark on a mission of my own to toss a searing spotlight on the negligence and wrongful acts that rise to the level of malpractice at Spring Valley.
Pink slips and public humiliation for all!
Amen.
