Albany Medical Center — Local services in City of Albany

My mother was transferred to Albany med by Mohawk emt @4am from memorial hospital. The emt needed a gps to get from there to Albany med which is about 4 mins away. When we arrived we were told her room was ready that I just need to get a visitors pass. The waiting area look like it was full of homeless people sleeping there, very uncomfortable, & unsanitary for a hospital. The front desk lady & security was very rude when I told them the instructions I was given & then all of a sudden her room wasn’t ready & I had to wait in between doors for an hour for her room to be ready. Now it’s 5am workers are going back & forth just staring , people are walking in & out without a visitors pass or identification. Very unsafe & needs to be addressed immediately anybody could be just walking in pretending to be someone & the people who do actually work there either don’t care or just aren’t paying enough attention. At almost 5:30 I asked the front desk lady to give my mother her phone so when she does , she comes back & doesn’t advise me she’s begging moved into her room as she gave her the phone. 5 minutes go by & still wasn’t aware she had a room until she called me to tell me the room number. I address the lady and she seemed very upset on who said I can come back there. She never asked the room number or looked in the computer but somehow brought me straight to her… it’s a nurse there & she’s asking what’s going on reading her papers which stated she was transferred for neurology & a mri but she doesn’t know a lot because the emts didn’t have a lot of information. My mother insisted she needed her blood thinners & seizure meds at that moment & was told she would have them immediately when the request was put in. At 6am another nurse comes in younger & very rude drinking coffee. She advised that my mom would be seen by a neurologist and have a team be set up for her after she’s checked to see what’s going on & that the er doctor would be in soon, she put in the requests AGAIN for her medications. Now it’s 11am she wasn’t checked on nor has she still seen a doctor or got the medications she can’t miss. My grandmother calls and ask to speak to a nurse to see what going on and the younger nurse was completely disrespectful and couldn’t remember all of a sudden what she told us when we first met. She said she didn’t know anything that we would have to ask a doctor any questions and that she never told us to put in a request for the medications. Very weird and suspicious that she would be lying and playing with someone’s health. At that point my grandmother called the hospital and asked to send someone down to file a complaint the person “Ali” never came down. After insisting we speak to a doctor she comes in at about 12pm very rude with a loud tone of voice demanding she doesn’t need to take her medication she should hold off, who told her she was getting a mri , & she doesn’t think she is having a stroke but never even looked at her charts or ct scans. I know this because she couldn’t tell us what she say on the ct and she offered Tylenol which is one of the first allergies listed on my moms chart. Again very suspicious why are you seeing a patient without knowing what’s actually going on & then being very rude and loud. Now she’s asking again what medications she needs after we said immediately she couldn’t miss them. She insisted that a request would be put in by her & left. Now a male doctor comes in very condescending and rude! He tried to tell my mother how she had her first stroke & was COMPLETELY WRONG. How does that happen if you literally have access to her medical records that is not okay & very unsafe you could’ve been treating her this whole time wrong because you didn’t fully understand her health. VERY UNSAFE. He was belittling us when & spoke very sarcastic & rude because he was irritated we very very familiar with her health. He tried to pat her to be quiet so he could speak & that was the last straw right there my grandmother asked to speak to him & again he was rude and sarcastic. Idk who is hiring...

I don't even know where to begin when it comes to describing the rollercoaster of emotions I've experienced at Albany Medical Center since that dreaded day on 11/29/23. The journey that unfolded within these walls was nothing short of a never-ending nightmare. My heart still races just thinking about it.

It was on that fateful day, when my beloved mother was thrust into the clutches of a horrific accident. Desperate and filled with despair, I sought solace within the confines of Albany Medical Center. It was here that I quickly realized no other hospital in the vicinity possessed the expertise required to handle such a delicate case of head trauma. Little did I know, this decision would set the stage for what can only be described as an emotional whirlwind.

The intensity of the situation was suffocating, until a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of the ICU unit. The care my mother received here was nothing short of extraordinary; it was as if they harnessed the power of angels themselves. The nurses were paragons of compassion, going above and beyond to ease our burdens. Their care was unparalleled, and even the mere thought of their unwavering dedication brings tears to my eyes. Oh, how they tend to those beds with such grace and tenderness.

However, it felt as though we were floating in a fragile bubble of care, one that burst with devastating consequences upon our transfer to B3. Suddenly, the level of attention and compassion we had grown accustomed to evaporated into thin air. Our hearts sank amidst the desolate halls, until fate intervened, and we encountered two extraordinary nurses and an exceptional aide who rekindled our flickering hope. They were rays of sunshine in the darkest of storm clouds.

But fate had not yet finished weaving its treacherous tapestry, for we were soon whisked away to a rehabilitation center. Regrettably, on 1/29/24, we found ourselves returning to the very place that had become a cornucopia of pain and sorrow. My dear mother, brave and resilient, now faced a major surgery that would forever alter her path to recovery. It was on D554C that we endured the absolute worst that any hospital unit could offer.

This despicable room, with its mere curtains as barriers, was woefully inadequate for someone grappling with a traumatic brain injury. And to make matters worse, we encountered a nurse whose lack of empathy and compassion was soul-shattering. The memory of her callous demeanor still sears my heart, and I can only pray that I am spared the agony of her presence in any future encounters. I would never trust her with the life of a cherished loved one. Never again.

Just when we believed we couldn't bear any more, a glimmer of hope emerged once more as we were relocated to the west side of B3. Yet, this flicker of optimism was soon extinguished as my mother developed a distressing rash, and her medications were consistently withheld. It was an all-encompassing disappointment, reminiscent of trash lining the corridors we walked. The only redeeming factors in this dire tale were the unwavering dedication of the ICU staff and the skilled surgeon who, through sheer determination, saved my mother's precious life. Their unwavering commitment will forever be etched into my soul.

Let this be a rallying cry to everyone who sets foot within the walls of that wretched hospital - always be the unwavering advocate for your loved one. If I hadn't taken up that mantle, I shudder to think of the unspeakable horrors that would have befallen my mother. Albany Medical Center, you have tested me beyond measure, and it is with a heavy heart that I emerge from this ordeal, forever grateful to those who restore my faith in humanity. Thank you, dear ICU angels and remarkable surgeon, for being our guiding lights in...

I had my firstborn at Albany Med where I was a RN working in L and D. I was 40 weeks into my pregnancy when I woke up to some mild contractions and what I thought was my water leaking. Except when I went to the bathroom, I discovered it was blood. I then passed a large clot. Scared, I called my Ob and told him what happened before heading to the hospital.

The resident on duty came in to check me out. I was still only having mild contractions and had only progressed to 2 cm and 50% effaced with the baby still high. The resident said I was in early labor and needed to go home. I stopped her from leaving and told her that I came because of bleeding, not labor. She then said this it was only a lot of bloody show. I requested an U/S, which she refused and said it wasn’t necessary. I thought after she spoke with my doctor, things would be different, instead I was sent home.

Monitoring myself at home, the fetal HR was good with no decelerations and the bleeding had stopped. I saw my Ob two days later. Upon examining me, he started me bleeding again. He asked why didn’t I questioned this at the hospital. I said, “I did, did you?” This time I admitted to the hospital. I requested an U/S again with the second resident. She said I already had one at my first visit. I explained did not and I discovered that the first resident had copied the results from an earlier one performed during my pregnancy. After doing the U/S, she went to examine me. I asked her, why do one when I’m not in labor and my Ob had just started me bleeding again. She told me I better get use to them because they will be doing many more. I was then transferred to the antepartum high risk floor.

That night I went into labor and the bleeding picked up. A third resident was sent in to examine me. This time, I bled out and was rushed back for a C/section. Because of the bleeding, I wasn’t a candidate for an epidural and had to be put to sleep. Nor was there any time for my husband to join me. When I woke up in the recovery room I was in excruciating pain from an incision that stretched hip to hip, shaking violently, nauseous, and still bleeding. In addition to IV Pitocin I had running, I was started on serial methergine injections. My sister came to the hospital and she asked if I could at least get a blanket for the shakes. I was then transferred to postpartum floor.

I wished it ended there. But I had a nurse wake up and started scolded me for allowing myself to bleed out on the bed. The one time I asked something for pain, a student injected me with Demerol into my sciatic nerve. When I was finally able to get out of bed, I nearly passed out. I told the nurse, who told me I needed to speak to my Ob about it. Never at any point in my recovery did I see any doctors or residents on rounds. My Ob finally showed up three days later. He said he was sick from food poisoning. It turns out that my hemoglobin dropped pretty low and my Ob started me on iron pills. And after speaking with the surgical tech on my case, blood was sent up OR, but never given. She also told me that I was given Narcan so I could enjoy being with my baby when I woke up. With no pain meds onboard. I couldn’t even hold her. One of the last things my Ob said to me, during a postpartum checkup, was I should consider myself lucky I have a healthy baby.

I really hope no one has through what I did at Albany Medical Center. As a comparison, I just had surgery at Duke Hospital and the experience couldn’t be more different. Albany Med should read their playbook on how a hospital should care their patients. It is my sincere...