El Centro Regional Medical Center — Local services in El Centro

To Whom It May Concern,

I arrived at the El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) Emergency Department at approximately 4:00 AM. Upon arrival, I was triaged, my vitals were taken, and blood was drawn. However, after several hours of waiting in excruciating pain, I was still not seen by a medical provider, nor was I asked to rate my level of pain at any point during this period.

Out of desperation, I expressed my concerns to the staff, stating that my symptoms could be something serious—possibly even appendicitis—and that I felt I was being ignored while in severe distress. It was only after this confrontation that I was administered morphine and sent for both an ultrasound and CT scan.

Despite undergoing these tests, I remained in significant pain and again informed the nursing staff, who administered an additional dose of morphine. Around 7:00 AM, I was briefly evaluated by Nurse Practitioner (NP) Monlisa, who recommended discharging me with antibiotics and pain medication.

When I questioned her plan—pointing out that I was still in debilitating pain—she responded with an indifferent expression and said, “Well, what do you want me to do?” There was no empathy, no further evaluation, and no clear explanation as to how a patient in my condition could be safely sent home.

After the shift change, I was informed that a new NP would be taking over. It was only then that a urologist, Dr. Apu, was consulted. After examining me, he confirmed that I had a severe infection with backed-up fluids. When I relayed what NP Monlisa had told me earlier, he appeared visibly concerned. He even questioned why she would consider discharging me when there was visible blood in my urine—a clear indicator that something was seriously wrong.

This experience is not just about one bad interaction. It reflects a broader issue that many in our community have voiced for years: the lack of trust in ECRMC. It’s incidents like these that reinforce why so many residents of the Imperial Valley hesitate to seek care at this facility. We deserve to be seen by qualified medical doctors, not dismissed by under-engaged or overburdened practitioners. Diagnosis and treatment should not rely solely on nurse practitioners, especially in complex or urgent cases.

I am not writing this to simply complain. I am writing because this is a systemic problem that must be addressed. Too many people in our community suffer unnecessarily due to a lack of urgency, compassion, and professional medical oversight. The people of the Imperial Valley deserve better—better care, better...

This is by far the most AWFUL hospital I’ve EVER stepped foot in, quite frankly it should be put out of business!! What a SICK JOKE. All they want is money! My father was rushed here by ambulance from Mexico after suffering a stroke where they kept him in a chair in the hallway of their emergency dept before finally putting him in a bed after hourssss then still kept him in the hallway, covered in puke and a ripped gown. The staff barely checked on him, they disregarded the fact that he was puking blood which was not stroke related yet kept giving him blood thinners. A CT scan was done and we were told he did not have a stroke.. an mri was done and we were told he did have a stroke...?! THEN another mri was done?! A dr from San Diego had to explain the findings. 5 days after the stroke they finally tested him to see why he puked blood, all was GI related, blood thinners stopped to keep him from bleeding out. Why this took so long who know?! Social worker didn’t come in to the room until day 5, a Friday, and told my mother (who had been sleeping in a recliner all week, who couldn’t even leave the room long enough to get food ONCE because the nurses BARELY checked on him) they would get him transferred but not until Monday because the dr had gone home and they can’t do authorizations on weekends. COME WEDNESDAY the social worker finally returned. One of the nurses on this same day asked my mother if my dad was drunk?? Umm.. HE HAD A STROKE!!! What kind of UNPROFESSIONAL AND OFFENSIVE staff member asks that??? Are they even real medical providers? Finally my mom discharged my father herself after getting him accepted to a care facility herself in AZ. Dr in AZ looked at all the records from this facility and said they were nearly all incomplete and showed Her no significant information and now.. we have to do all the MRIs and tests over again!!!! This place is a JOKE. Don’t ever bring a...

Edited 11/30/23:

Respectfully I will leave new and old comment up. Updated stars to higher level.

Despite putting up with some interesting situations, every staff member had respectful customer service. They did what needed to be done in a fully functioning manner. I personally gave some situations the, “side-eye” in the sense of the “watchu doin here then?” but everything was smooth for the 4-5 hours I was there. I think if they had resources to cooler things, maybe they would flow like water eventually. Big respect to the people at the front desk of the emergency area as well as the staff. I saw a lot of movement for the Saturday afternoon I was there.

Old comment 1-2yrs back:

I live and Holtville and will forever skip EC to drive all the way to Brawley for both their innercare and hospital. I’m giving it a two star rating because I begged myself to give the benefit of a doubt to an, “exhausted, over-worked” staff. Originally I came to give it a one star for the endless horror stories I hear about patient handling, and degrading staff making individuals feel like they are less of an issue because they aren’t dying. I personally have three stories before family stories, friend stories, and bonding with strangers over issues. Regional? They should try focusing on the “El Centro” and “Medical” in their name before trying to worry about any other region than their own internal...