Spokane, what's it like? (Yakima, Pullman: casino, restaurant, garden)

[newtospokane]

We are retired military and relocated to Spokane 3 months ago for the 4 seasons mountains, etc,etc.. We are however in shock that we can not find a primary care doctor, even though they are accepting new patients, they refuse patients that have been on pain management. some doctors office will tell you they willaccept you and when you make your first appointmentthey have you sign a release of information form if they find that you have been treated for any type pain they send a cerified letter saying they will not except you as a patient, some offices will tell you right out they are acepting new patients but not pain management. we have been here 3 months and do not have a primary care doctor, the base only has a clinic with 1 doctor so thats out, our insurance carrier is trying to find us a doctor for the last month. I have some major medical issue besides the 6 herniated disc, but the medical system here does not care. so if you are in good health Spokane is a pretty nice place to be.

[Spokanejobseeker]

Originally Posted by newtospokane

We are retired military and relocated to Spokane 3 months ago for the 4 seasons mountains, etc,etc.. We are however in shock that we can not find a primary care doctor, even though they are accepting new patients, they refuse patients that have been on pain management. some doctors office will tell you they willaccept you and when you make your first appointmentthey have you sign a release of information form if they find that you have been treated for any type pain they send a cerified letter saying they will not except you as a patient, some offices will tell you right out they are acepting new patients but not pain management. we have been here 3 months and do not have a primary care doctor, the base only has a clinic with 1 doctor so thats out, our insurance carrier is trying to find us a doctor for the last month. I have some major medical issue besides the 6 herniated disc, but the medical system here does not care. so if you are in good health Spokane is a pretty nice place to be.

They seem very reluctant to give prescribe pain meds here. Have you tried the VA Hospital in town?

[skinem]

Originally Posted by Spokanejobseeker

They seem very reluctant to give prescribe pain meds here. Have you tried the VA Hospital in town?

It's not just "here". It's virtually everywhere. It is getting harder to find docs taking new patients every where, and harder still to find docs any where who do want to take on patients undergoing pain management.

You can thank in large degree lawyers, health insurance companies, medicare, the increasingly large number of patients who are addicted and so many patients lying so often to their docs that few docs actually trust their patients much to tell them the truth.

...but that's another topic.

Newtospokane, I hate to hear of your issues. As someone with at least some of your health issues I can relate. Are you eligible for the VA? I know they can often be a pain in their own right, but I have heard good things about the VA hospital there.

[Spokanejobseeker]

Originally Posted by skinem

It's not just "here". It's virtually everywhere. It is getting harder to find docs taking new patients every where, and harder still to find docs any where who do want to take on patients undergoing pain management.

You can thank in large degree lawyers, health insurance companies, medicare, the increasingly large number of patients who are addicted and so many patients lying so often to their docs that few docs actually trust their patients much to tell them the truth.

...but that's another topic.

Newtospokane, I hate to hear of your issues. As someone with at least some of your health issues I can relate. Are you eligible for the VA? I know they can often be a pain in their own right, but I have heard good things about the VA hospital there.

They're getting to be ridiculous about pain meds I agree. I was given hydros for a badly sprained ankle last winter and a friend of mine had their 13 year old prescribed Oxycontin for a sprained ankle just recently. So they are giving away pain meds for minor things but people with long term pain management issues are getting the shaft.

[chrisinvegas]

Hi we live in Vegas now and were considering moving to Spokane. I read through all the posts here and it seems like most compare spokane to northwest cities or calif but how would you compare it to Las Vegas? I'm so confused about Spokane....I'm wondering if someone from vegas would think it was paradise, the videos at the visitor site look so nice, but they didn't show any with snow. How many months is it snowy where you can't go outside?
Recently we visited Tri-cities for possible relocation but it seemed a little too slow, small and Farm-ish. Downtown seemed abandoned and it just seemed like a very boring city. Would you say Spokane is better than Tri-cities?
We lived in Eugene OR for 8 months hoping to relocate but quickly realized it was way too expensive. I loved Eugene and was hoping Spokane was like Eugene just cheaper.

Thanks for any input ;-)

[Count David]

Originally Posted by chrisinvegas

Hi we live in Vegas now and were considering moving to Spokane. I read through all the posts here and it seems like most compare spokane to northwest cities or calif but how would you compare it to Las Vegas? I'm so confused about Spokane....I'm wondering if someone from vegas would think it was paradise, the videos at the visitor site look so nice, but they didn't show any with snow. How many months is it snowy where you can't go outside?
Recently we visited Tri-cities for possible relocation but it seemed a little too slow, small and Farm-ish. Downtown seemed abandoned and it just seemed like a very boring city. Would you say Spokane is better than Tri-cities?
We lived in Eugene OR for 8 months hoping to relocate but quickly realized it was way too expensive. I loved Eugene and was hoping Spokane was like Eugene just cheaper.

Thanks for any input ;-)

You can go outside even when it's snowy.

Spokane is nothing like Las Vegas. Nothing at all. The two are so opposite, they can't accurately be compared.

I prefer Spokane to the Tri-Cities. All day long. Again, not much in common except they're both in Eastern Washington.

I'd say Eugene and Spokane are pretty comparable, with Spokane being much less lush, and definitely snowier (and cheaper). Spokane may feel a bit more depressed economically than Eugene, however.

[Blue Sky]

If you liked Eugene, you won't like Spokane. It is much different, especially when it comes to diversity and politics. Spokane is a very weird place. A very conservative place. Everyone here is "from Spokane" (inbreeding is what grew the population). It is not a very accepting place for people from outside of their bubble. I moved here 8 years ago from Arizona and believe me, it is hard to fit in. When you tell people you are from Arizona, it's like saying your from the moon. Most of the people around here have no idea what the world is like outside of Spokane. There is a very huge underclass and rampant crime which goes along with it.

I've lived in 5 other cities (including Las Vegas) and have travelled all over the country, so I do know what I'm talking about. Crime is about on par with Vegas, especially property crimes (2nd worst in the state). I'd pick the Tri-Cities (Richland) over Spokane any day if had to move to E. Washington. Better weather, better economy, more diversity and less crime. Just be forewarned. I haver had enough and am moving to a smaller town in Colorado. Good luck.

Peace.

[Indyking]

I’ve never actually been to any of these cities. I just have learned many things about eastern WA in here and elsewhere online plus talking to friends since we may move to Pullman this summer. I have a friend who lived in Pullman for about 10 years. He always told me good things about Spokane and he visited it very frequently. He is a very outdoor guy (summer and winter) and he found Spokane to have plenty to do on that respect. He is now living south of LA and he is actually missing eastern WA. When I asked him about the tri-cities, he said he went there very few because it was no comparison with Spokane for his taste, there wasn't anything exciting to do in the tri-cities according to him.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Indyking

I’ve never actually been to any of these cities. I just have learned many things about eastern WA in here and elsewhere online plus talking to friends since we may move to Pullman this summer. I have a friend who lived in Pullman for about 10 years. He always told me good things about Spokane and he visited it very frequently. He is a very outdoor guy (summer and winter) and he found Spokane to have plenty to do on that respect. He is now living south of LA and he is actually missing eastern WA. When I asked him about the tri-cities, he said he went there very few because it was no comparison with Spokane for his taste, there wasn't anything exciting to do in the tri-cities according to him.

This may be hard to believe, but the two are about as far apart looks-wise and culturally as Pittsburgh and Tucson.

[Yeledaf]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

This may be hard to believe, but the two are about as far apart looks-wise and culturally as Pittsburgh and Tucson.

Not to mention linguistically...

Keep in mind that the tri-cities are the eastern gateway to the Yakima Valley, which is, for all intent and purposes, a northern province of Mexico.

Not expressing an opinion here. Just stating a fact.