What's up with tucson medical center?

[clearwater66]

Originally Posted by Serenity1944

I sympathize with your bad experience. I am 69 yo w/ a number of health issues. I have 2 thoughts on this--

#1 - it is said we have a shortage of doctors here

#2 - if your home town was bombarded with thousands of visitors from say Phoenix and Tucson every summer it probably would affect the service at your medical facilities and doctor's office as it does here.

I went to St Joseph's hospital last year -- layed in the ER 11 hours (everything backed up) because they were waiting for patients to be discharged before they could move a number of us to a room as we were to be admitted.

I live here year round, had to wait 5 wks for an appt with a specialist for one of my health issues and 8 wks for another.

I am truly sorry for this, Serenity. Of course it makes sense but it's something I hadn't thought about at all and now I feel somewhat selfish for the fact that I am only a seasonal resident, making demands on a system that cannot sustain everyone who is here for a short time.

I am happily in treatment with a chiropractor, who is not always busy and I'd like to recount an experience in his office that sent chills through me. In the waiting room, I sat across from a woman who was obviously in a great deal of pain. Later, I found out she had been hit by a car, pulling out of a parking place, who hadn't seen her and she was just released from the hospital with one crutch. She fell and exacerbated an already bad condition and thought a chiropractor was what she needed but he couldn't do anything...she was too badly injured. So the receptionist called for an ambulance and even though the injured lady had insurance, the dispatcher said it would take one hour for the ambulance to come for her.

As to TMC. it appears this is big business running things and the profit line is so important that doctors are not allowed to take the time to properly care for people. I could see the low morale, from the nurses to attendants to doctors and that confused me, until I understood what was behind it.

As to our return...well, my husband is getting a hip replacement at the UofA and we could not be happier with the time and care those wonderful health care professionals are giving us. After that, and mostly because we are country folk, we'll leave and not come back as seasonal residents again. Instead, we'll get care in our native state, if we need to get out of the cold winters.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention and wishing you better health and all good things in the New Year.

[Subie2]

Have been to most hospitals in Tucson, and as far as care quality and customer service/compassion, my vote is for UAHC (UMC) on Campbell or Northwest Hospital on La Cholla.

[Salpointe59]

I had a Quad bypass on November 21st at TMC and the folks there were wonderful, I was released on November 26th. A month later I was sent to the ER on Christmas Eve at St. Mary's and they were wonderful. I had many complications from a split Gall Bladder and since my Quad had been only 4 weeks prior they had to put a team together. My surgeon from TMC actually came to St. Mary's to assist. He and the cardiac staff at St. Mary's had worked together at Tucson Heart. My last of 4 surgeries for the gangrenous Gall Bladder was on New Years Eve. Today I walked a timed 19 minute mile at Cardiac rehab in Sierra Vista.

[tijlover]

Originally Posted by Serenity1944

I sympathize with your bad experience. I am 69 yo w/ a number of health issues. I have 2 thoughts on this--

#1 - it is said we have a shortage of doctors here

#2 - if your home town was bombarded with thousands of visitors from say Phoenix and Tucson every summer it probably would affect the service at your medical facilities and doctor's office as it does here.

I went to St Joseph's hospital last year -- layed in the ER 11 hours (everything backed up) because they were waiting for patients to be discharged before they could move a number of us to a room as we were to be admitted.

I live here year round, had to wait 5 wks for an appt with a specialist for one of my health issues and 8 wks for another.

As I'm still planning to move to Tucson, for the braver and more courageous types like myself, as an alternative, from time to time, I plan to go down to Nogales, if need be for some medical attention, as I've already sampled some medical tourism in Mexico, over the years, but mostly in Tijuana.

Ever hear of the International Red Cross Clinic's/Hospitals around the world, mostly in 3rd world countries, which are open to everyone, rich and poor alike? I sampled my first one in Guatemala City, on vacation, for a spider bite, and I was awestruck, not only how cheap it was ($3 to see a Dr. who spoke English, by the way) and how professional they were, and how quickly they attended to me, and with their own in-house pharmacies! I was expecting to spend all day in that place, but I was in and out and treated in 45 minutes!

Through research, I find there's an Int'l Red Cross Clinic in Nogales. We're looking at $5-6-7 to see a Doctor! Last week I was in Tijuana to their Int'l Red Cross Clinic, was immediately ushered into their Emergency room for a consultation, and I was out of there in less than 30 minutes. Cost me a whopping $5!

If I get frustrated with the health care system in Tucson, after I move there, from time to time, I may very well take advantage of the Int'l Red Cross Clinic in Nogales, or other Doctors there.

Does anyone know of anyone who's been to that clinic in Nogales? I've seen pix's of it on the Internet and it looks like a nice place.

I know this is off-topic, but reading some of these posts, the frustration, and seemingly lack of options to medical care in Tucson, but let this be an option for, like I said previously, for the braver, more adventuresome types.