St. Joseph's Hospital — Local services in Ontario

I wish I could say this place was somewhere you could be treated like a normal person who is unwell but from the experiences I have had in this urgent care center this month they will only treat you like someone seeking drugs until you can prove with your own blood, tissue or maybe your sanity that they are wrong.

Nov 5th. First visit I went earlier this month with chest pain difficulty breathing and already been tested negative for covid and showed up there under the advisement of the London health unit as per regular order of the covid assessment procedures. Upon my arrival I was hesitant and worried but the lady who greeted me at the door was welcoming spite my unassured feeling i was in the right entrance, she gave a mask and sanitizer and made sure i was going to the right place and where to wait. I was then a checked in for my basic info and told to wait for triage to finish assessing me. 10/10 on the check in lady. Then I meet the gatekeeper triage nurse who is having CLEARLY anything but a nice day...but I do my best to answer her for some reason aggressively and angrily asked list of questions about covid. I say I did not know if I had been exposed because of my symptoms and she arrogantly replied "so that's all the information you're going to give me? that you MAYBE have been?" so I tried to tell her why and she cut me off to proceed with her next question as though the reasoning was not important anyway(why waste either of our time to display a scene of rudeness if it wasnt going to be relevant how i answered her anyway). After struggling to get through her questions because she was upset about whatever went wrong in her day, she pointed me to a piece of paper across the cubicle and asked how many of those symptoms on that sheet do you feel...so i said almost all of them and she rudely said oh so you have chicken pox? After clarifying my symptoms a second time and I explained was a little confused/foggy but after the sheet she hastily said well now she had to move me because i said i had a cough and cold but not before she asked me if i really had a cough again, I said yes, I am congested too so she put me in a side room but not without making another snarky comment about "since you say you have a cough you can wait in here" as though she still did not believe me again(IM TRYING TO LOOK OUT FOR OTHER PEOPLES SAFETY HERE LIKE WOW, totally contradictory feeling to the sanitizer and facemask recieved at the door too, really makes ya sorry for being sick like it is an inconvenience for her at your job where basically only sick people go????). After spending a short amount of time in one room I was moved to another for what would finally be my xray I requested. The female doctor came in and asked me the usual questions but she was worried i might currently have covid and i understand that given the circumstances but she had also the same look of disbelief about my symptoms and was hesitant to take my xray at all but thankfully she did send me off. The lady who took my Xray was super nice, she should show the others how to be compassionate or a human being. After the quick xray i went back to wait 15 minutes and then the nurse/doctor came back in and she delivered me the results like i was going to have a baby... Well mr it looks like you have yourself a bacteria infection. GREAT lets have a party....now can you take me seriously? finally i get antibacterial medicine for my problem and I am on my way but why this level of scrutiny at all to begin with? Its not like im asking for drugs nor is it crazy to be sick, being difficult and angry is only making the staff fall more behind on time and be less productive in meeting caregiving needs of patients. Did you sign up to be a Bouncer/Security Guard or are you working in the field of medicine to help people who are unwell get better? Maybe you need an employee stress assessment test or maybe some employees just need to be dealt with. I cant be that arrogant where i work and expect to keep a job. Shame on them!

3 stars...

{{TRIGGER WARNING}} I honestly have to say, after going through a SA, and the court systems, the kit I've had to submit, down to every other detail, the women through the sexual assault clinic have been absolutely helpful in all of this. They have made this process as easy and as pain free as they possibly can. In hearing of my panic attacks, they've taken special care of my case knowing I don't have a family doctor and are fighting and advocating for me as a patient to get one who understands and who specializes in this kind of treatment. Specifically, Kara has been truly wonderful. If I could give more than five stars for her alone, I would, but between reception, all the nurses, doctors, everyone involved in my case, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.. and if you're the reason I gain a family doctor from this, I owe you my life. This has been such a difficult and time consuming process, and I'm barely hanging on. They're the reasons why I'm still fighting for my life, hoping that someday soon, it'll get better.. that I'll finally have a family doctor who I've met before and was nothing but wonderful. Dr McNair didn't just greet me kindly, she actually remembered who I was eight years later! I just bawled my eyes out because something just clicked in my heart and my brain that this is exactly where I need to be. I'd literally go above and beyond for the chance to have her as my family doctor.. and I sincerely appreciate Kara and everybody else for their help trying to make this dream a reality. Seriously, I can't say enough amazing things about the Sexual Assault team. If you or anyone you know has ever been hurt this way, don't be afraid to speak up and do something about it! They'll treat you with the utmost kindness and respect. You couldn't possibly be in better hands. They're renewing my faith in the medical system after being let down by them so many times over, and as many of us know, patients rarely get to say their side of things when it comes to anything. I just need a fresh start, honestly and this seems like the best way in which to get that. I pray to my brother everything goes well, and that I'm able to just have this go smoothly and right.. but from what I've seen, honestly, I have high hopes. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart and soul, just.. thank...

Honestly the service and care has spiraled down. I have some mystery chronic pain that I've been having for a year and a half, and every time I go in I get treated with as much respect as a tweaker.

Hi, I'm the red head that you (in immunology, i will redact your name because unlike you, i am a decent human with empathy and kindness to others) told was too young for (diagnosed at YOUR hospital) arthritis and tendonitis, and I'm the same person who is having my disabilities dismissed. You may not believe I have these conditions, but my advice? go back to school or quit your work.

I was also told from my first visit to the walk in that I should hang out with friends, quit smoking, quit drinking, as if I was some unsocialized cat. Shame on you! Quit your work.

And you, Mr whatever your name is that didn't help me in any way yesterday when I told you I was bleeding from my ear. I have photo evidence that shows IT IS IN FACT BLOOD AND NOT EARWAX! I will hold onto the tissue, so I can throw it in your face and show you how wrong you are.

Telling me that I am essentially crazy and playing make believe with my pain and symptoms and MORE THAN HAPPILY DIRECTING ME TO M.A.I.D when I said that if you can't help me, to direct me to it? Your readiness will be blood on your damn hands.

This hospital is garbage.

In every class there is high ranking and low ranking students. Clearly, I am having the delight of dealing with the lowest rung of professionals, if you can call it that.

I hope that you do tlread this, that you feel bad and ashamed that while you play God with someone's life, that person is living every day with excruciating pain.

I needed a solution, an answer.

You have condemned me to a life with...