Ouachita County Medical Center — Local services in Camden

Neglectful and Dangerous Care

I came to the hospital at 3:00 PM with several serious symptoms: severe leg swelling, numbness, visible rashes, heat in both legs, chest pain, and noticeable memory problems, including forgetting my 16-year-old daughter’s name. That alone should have triggered immediate neurological evaluation, but it didn’t.

Despite there being no one in the waiting room, I wasn’t called back until after 5:00 PM, and wasn’t seen by a doctor until 9:00 PM. That doctor stayed in the room for barely five minutes, only mentioned my swollen legs, and then disappeared. I never saw him again.

They did run basic bloodwork and a urine test, which they said was “normal,” but I was never given a full explanation of what was tested or how it related to my symptoms. No imaging, no ultrasound to rule out blood clots (despite the heat and swelling), no neurological exam for memory loss, and no one addressed my chest pain or the rashes all over my legs. That’s critical negligence.

I was given only a diuretic, with no explanation, and then sent home around 10:00 PM with generic papers on “edema.” That was the entire outcome of a 7-hour ER visit for symptoms that could have pointed to serious cardiac, neurological, or vascular issues.

As someone who has worked in the medical field for over a decade, I can say confidently: this is not how emergency medicine should function. Hot, swollen legs with numbness and chest pain should never be treated with just a water pill. And memory loss serious enough to forget your child’s name is not something that should be ignored.

This isn’t my first time seeing care neglected at this facility. My mother experienced the same pattern, brushed off and under-evaluated, until I had to take her to El Dorado, where she finally received real medical care.

This hospital is failing its community. I’m deeply concerned someone will lose their life if this behavior continues. No one deserves to be dismissed, especially when showing signs of potentially life-threatening conditions. I’m speaking up so the next person is taken seriously, before it’s too late.

I will be filing a complaint with Arkansas...

This is by far the worst place to have a baby. My daughter was in labor from Sunday night until Monday night. The room was cluttered and wasn’t clean. The bathroom looked like it had fragments of dead roaches. The only thing positive I can say was the 1st shift nurses were AWESOME and so was Mrs. Tina Nalls, the 2nd shift nurses never came to introduce themselves. One came in to check her about 7:15pm talking about she’s 9.5, but she wasn’t. The Dr was just as bad. She came to see her that morning and they kept texting her that evening and she showed up when she got ready. If she hadn’t been ready to deliver, I would’ve taken her to Little Rock. These workers here suck. They need to gone and just make this an urgent care facility. You’ll die waiting on the doctors and nurses here. Do Better OCMC….. I see why folks sue y’all!!!!!! Trust me I didn’t want to give y’all one star but it’s the only way I can get my review through!...

If I could give this ER zero stars I would. The staff are rude and the wait is completely ridiculous! I understand there are multiple people waiting to be seen and people being treated but 3 hours sitting in a waiting room and 2 hours waiting in a room is completely ridiculous in my opinion! I showed up because of complications at 17 weeks pregnant. When I arrived a man was leaving because of his wait. 5 people showed up after I arrived. 3 hours later there were 2 of us left. Everyone else decided to leave and go to another hospital or home. When I asked if it was okay to use the restroom or I needed to wait and give a urine sample the lady at the front desk got an attitude because she had to pause her show to answer my question. If you're in the camden area definitely don't come to OCMC. Find another...