Sisters of Charity Hospital — Local services in Buffalo

My son stayed in the NICU for three weeks and I will address any complaints or concerns that may have arisen during my stay first. However, it is important to note that our positive experiences far outweigh any negative instances.

Complaints:

During my child's stay in the NICU, Nurse Kevin provided care on two occasions and left a positive impression. However, when encountering him in the hallway and greeting him, I received an unexpected and uncomfortable reaction. This left me with concerns regarding his level of compassion for his work, as his demeanor was inconsistent.

Nurse Tracy's behavior toward the OT and PT staff was abrasive and unprofessional. Tracy repeatedly interrupted (coming into the room multiple times to hover over the PT and OT staff) created a sense of discomfort in the room. Tracy interrupted my conversation with OT by saying “well you’re gonna have to make a decision about pumping soon. I’m taking him out now”. Her inconsiderate and rude behavior was unbecoming of a healthcare professional, and as a NICU mother, I needed patience and support. Unfortunately, Tracy's actions undermined this need and made the situation about her schedule.

Nurse Michelle (with short black hair) made a comment regarding the frequency of our baby's diaper changes. As parents, we felt that this type of commentary was inappropriate and unprofessional, as NICU nurses should prioritize supporting and reassuring parents in their caretaking decisions.

Lastly, I experienced extended wait times while attempting to be checked in to see my baby, specifically when dealing with front desk staff Phyllis. On several occasions, she was not present at the desk, causing me to wait up to three minutes before entering the NICU and she wasn’t apologetic.

Positive experiences:

I would like to commend the front door staff Rene for exhibiting exceptional customer service and making me feel welcome. Her encouraging words and positive attitude were uplifting, and her sense of style added to the overall positive experience.

OT Lisa and Tessa were absolute angels during my stay. They provided guidance on massaging my baby's feet and hands to introduce positive touch and assisted me with lactation.

Nurse Rene stood out to me the most with her dedication to ensuring my family and I were comfortable. Her warm and kind demeanor during her interactions with my baby left a lasting impression, and she always took the time to check in on us whenever we crossed paths. Her compassionate approach to care was truly heartwarming.

Nurse Mary was the first nurse we encountered, and her calming presence during a traumatic experience was greatly appreciated. She went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable and frequently checked in on my son's progress.

Nurse Lisa was incredibly supportive during a difficult time when I was struggling with pumping. She provided me with the encouragement and validation I needed to make a difficult decision. Her approachable demeanor made me feel comfortable and at ease in her care.

Nurse Amy provided exceptional care and consistently demonstrated a positive attitude towards my well-being. Her thoughtful gesture of providing me with a cute pink lunch bag was greatly appreciated. Her compassionate nature was evident in all aspects of her work, allowing me to feel secure and at ease in her presence.

Nurse Maggie warmly welcomed me and my family, ensuring that we felt at ease throughout our interactions. Her approachable nature allowed for open communication, and she provided answers to our questions with tact and empathy. She also was a lot of fun and made us laugh.

All of your support and dedication made a difficult and unexpected journey more manageable. I am...

So I need to go on a rant about sisters hospital. My issues started before I had even arrived. The day before I was to expect a call confirming the surgery time. The tentative time was noon which wasn't bad. I get a call from my Doctors office that is changed to 7:30 AM so I had to be there by 5:30 AM. Okay, I'm not a morning person and I figure my ride won't want to be up that early, but hey I'll be the first one in so my Dr. will be bright-eyed and bushy tailed and not cutting into my eye or anything crazy. I text my ride to let her know of the change. Around 1 PM I get a call back from my doctors office changing the appointment to 1PM with an arrival time of 11 AM because the “hospital doesn't have the equipment they need for your surgery” Okay, back to not having to be up terribly early in the morning. Call my ride back to let her know they changed the time again. At this point we are both a little annoyed.

So midnight comes and I fast as directed. We arrive at the hospital before 11. I get called in right away and get changed into a gown and I am offered a warm blanket. My friend makes her way back to the room to sit with me. She and I both brought things to read and keep occupied. Now, aside from my vitals that were taken as soon as I was brought back to the room--and I want to mention here the nurse makes a comment that my temp was “chilly, ” no one says anything or even talks to me. About noon(or later) when I am supposed to be going to meet with the anesthesiologist and get prepped, some nurse in scrubs comes by and asked if I'm Judy. I say no and after she walks away my friend asks if I'm ready to go yet, jokingly (kind of). So next thing you know it's one PM. I'm starving (honestly, I'm a big girl, I was staving hours ago but trying to take it like a champ), I hit the call button on the wall and a nurse comes by and asks what she can do for me. I asked what the deal was and she said she would go find out. About 15 minutes later (not sure why it took this long) a new nurse appears. She says things are behind. The person that is to go into surgery before me hasn't even gone in yet. It will be another one and half to two hours until they are ready for me.

Sometime after this, probably another hour or so, the nurse who had taken my vitals (who apparently left for lunch) came back and asked if I would like a room with a TV while I wait. She helps us take our things down the hall to a room with a TV, which I think I was only in for about a half hour or less. Two nurses came and got me, verified I was the right patient (I think the one nurse was new so the older nurse was giving him a a hard time. Not in a mean way though) They take me a long ways away from my friend down at least two halls and into a large room with other patients awaiting surgery. The time is around 3:00. I have a woman come up and say she is my anesthesiologist, asks me some questions, verifies that I've had a hard time coming out of anesthesia before. She leaves. Several moments pass by. Another lady comes up, forget what she said she does but she will be in the surgery room. Asks a few questions then leaves. A few moments later I had a a really nice woman stop by. She said she was the RN that would take very nice care of me and make sure nothing bad would happen during my surgery. She showed me her badge but I can not remember her name. Asked me if I needed another blanket? I said I was freezing and she gave me all new warm blankets. Then I'm left alone again. Most of this time spent in this room was alone and staring at the clock directly ahead of me, starving, tired and a bit panicked.

See image for the rest of my...

I was transported to the emergency room by ambulance due to chest pain radiating into my shoulder and neck as well as shortness of breath. I was taken to an exam room by the paramedics as directed from the person who took the report at the desk. I was in the room for approximately 20 minutes before somebody from registration, I don't know her name because she did not introduce herself, looked in on me and asked what my name was because no one had put me listed in an exam room. She registered me and left. Another staff member, I'm assuming was probably a medical assistant,but I'm not sure because she did not have a name tag on that I could see nor did she introduce herself, asked me my name because I still had not been put in the computer as being in a room. She left and then returned with a nurse, who did not introduce herself, but I could see her name tag, they FINALLY listed me in the room, then didn't say anything else and left. Approximately 10 minutes later the nurse of no name returned, drew blood, left it on the bedside table, hooked me up to the monitor and left. She did not say anything further other than "do you need anything?". A short while later another nurse came in who did introduce herself and said she would be my nurse. She asked if I needed anything, I made mention of the blood work that was sitting on the over bed table and she said that she had to wait until the doctor put orders the computer. I waited another hour and a half from that point before the doctor came in (2 and 1/2 hours after my arrival) so my blood work sat and was not sent to the lab. So how accurate was the results??!? The doctor came in, took a history, listened to my lungs and my heart glanced at the monitor said he was going to order some tests and left. Approximately 5 hours and 40 minutes after my arrival all my test results were in and the doctor came back. He reviewed everything with me. While he was talking with me he was staring at the heart monitor because there were PVC's showing on the monitor. When I told him I was feeling them more than I usually do as I am on medication for them. His response was "I've seen people with worse". He didn't seem to care about my worry about this issue. He just discharged me. The nurse came in 10 minutes later, had me remove my own heart monitor leads, she discontinued the IV and sent me to walk to the general waiting room alone while I waited for my husband to come with the car. The next day I received a EKG report They're supposed to put the name of the nurse, the medical assistant, and the doctor who is caring for the patient on the whiteboard in each exam room. This is the second time that I have been there and people do not introduce themselves, nor is there any names listed on the whiteboard. Honestly, I wish the St Joseph campus on Harlem road was still still a fully staffed hospital, because I would have gone there instead of Sisters. The staff at Sisters ER has dropped the ball on care the past 2 times I have been there (and both times were by ambulance in the past 3 1/2 months).THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE...