Community Hospital South — Local services in Indianapolis

I went in with the highest pain of 10 at Community South hospital in the emergency room at the registration desk recently, June of 2024. I was in distress, was never aggressive, nor combative, just in huge pain. Two nurses in the registration area had absolutely NO compassion and were oblivious to how to handle patients in this pain. I later found out through going to Immediate Care that I had a kidney stone at age 63. At the time in Community South ER, it was my first stop to get help as directed by the triage nurse from my doctors office to go immediately to the hospital. I did and the nurses had no clue of knowing the signs and symptoms of a patient in complete distress. I could not hold still for a blood pressure reading and one nurse said sit down and we can’t help you if we don’t get a reading. Well, two of the most nastiest nurses in ER registration had no clue that there are some illnesses when a patient is so uncomfortable, she can’t sit. I’ve been in healthcare management for my career with two college degrees and NEVER EVER been treated so hostile from non-compassionate nursing personnel, in all my life. I hung on to the registration desk by my arms and told them I felt I was going to pass out. Again, they told me to sit. But, with a moving kidney stone and their lack of proper ER knowledge (especially to be working in ER registration of patients), I had no choice but to lie down or fall down on the floor with my horrendous pain. This is one of the worse pains a patient can have. An RN who would have known the distress signals, was never called from the back part of ER. The uneducated nurses in registration (who took vitals), told me to get off the floor or the big security guy was picking me up and putting me in a wheelchair. I told them I couldn’t get up. It was cooler there from my body overheating from the extreme pain it generated. I was assaulted by the big security person as he grabbed my arm and put me in a wheelchair. I grabbed my arm back and he threatened me with a felony. Did he even know what word he was using? I was not aggressive and you never ever move a patient like that, especially in that manner, not knowing what’s wrong with the person as you can injure that patient even more. One of the two nasty nurses said “you didn’t get up off the dirt floor, you had your chance, and now he had pick you up.” Anothernurse also said it’s protocol that if someone is on the floor, they have to be put in a wheelchair. Well, man-handling a 63 year old woman in extreme pain, after coming to the ER for help, was assault. One of the nurses said if I couldn’t hold still, there’s the door!! I contacted the police and they said Community Hosptal South as their own police. I also contacted a lawyer and he told me to contact the police because I was assaulted. I have the name of the man-handling officer but was unable to get the names of the two nurses. Most of my career has been in hospital and long-term care management. I will seek these nurses names and report them to the licensure board as well as to the Indians State Board of Health, as instructed by the lawyers office. I’ve already contacted the State Board of Health with what happened and with the name of the security person who assaulted me. I was referred by the outside police department I contacted who put me in touch with the police at Community South. Briefly, I spoken to someone who could not talk due to an emergency they were handling, but said someone would call me back. Still waiting. Apparently, I’ve found others who have heard of many incidences of mistreatment (such as mine), with others seeking help at Community South Hospital. Ultimately, I find it’s the hospital’s responsibility for hiring ER personnel, to make sure proper education, protocols and compassionate nurses are in place to provide the proper care for patients who come through the ER. There also seems to be no protocols in place to care for people in maximum pain first, only to care for patients in the order in which they come...

If you are a minority stay clear of this hospital, if you are in the ER and you find out David Eichenberger, MD is your doctor good luck...

Upon arrival, I was barely conscious, bleeding from my face, and had a visibly broken tooth. I was wheeled into Room 4 in the ER. Despite my condition, I was not given a hospital gown, and no immediate attention was provided for my facial bleeding—we had to use paper towels from the room.

When asked what happened, I explained I was hit by a car and mentioned that I believed my arm was dislocated. I was given a single Tylenol and sent for X-rays. There was no evaluation for a concussion, no basic trauma response, and no pain management beyond that Tylenol. At times, I was in and out of consciousness.

I waited 45 minutes to an hour in severe pain. I pressed the emergency call button several times but was ignored. I also had to wait over an hour to use the bathroom. My friend and I had to hobble me out of the room in search of one, and even then, a staff member insisted I complete a urine test. I complied, though I had no idea why it was being requested. I was not under the influence of any substances at the time.

Eventually, someone returned and stood in the doorway—never even entering the room—to tell me my X-rays showed no dislocation or fracture and that I was being discharged. I expressed confusion because I was still in excruciating pain and unable to move my arm from the elbow up. I was told it was “just bruised.” The person said he would get me a sling but never returned. A nurse (I believe her name was Chung) finally provided me one after I asked again.

No one checked me for other injuries, and I was sent home without any real care instructions, other than being told to “follow up with a specialist.” When I got home, I was unable to sleep or function. After two days of extreme pain and immobility, I was forced to improvise a method to reset my own shoulder using a shoelace and my ottoman. After a loud suction and popping sound, I regained some mobility and relief. My pain levels dropped significantly after the shoulder self-reset, confirming something had in fact been out of place.

Upon further inspection, I found myself covered in bruises, with a swollen lip, a scraped knee, and what I believe may be a fractured thumb.

The lack of basic emergency care, the dismissive tone, and the complete disregard for my visible pain and condition left me feeling like I was treated as if I didn’t matter—as though I were a drug-seeker or simply not worthy of care. I strongly suspect my treatment was affected by bias based on something they may have seen in my medical history, or due to assumptions made about me upon arrival.

I have not sought emergency care since 2012, and this experience has left me deeply shaken. Next time i'll probably just stay home and...

On Friday the 13th my new and first granddaughter was born the nurse Jenny crane was amazing I would give her 10 Stars as far as communication I give them a one I was not updated I sat in the waiting room wondering what was going on didn't even know my granddaughter had been born yet but what Jenny did saved my granddaughter's life and I'm so appreciative for that she deserves every word that can be given because this was also something she had never had to do before so she was very scared herself but had we been 2 minutes later or have they waited 2 minutes longer my granddaughter would not be here today although I didn't like how it went because my daughter had to do this all on her own her baby's father was not allowed with her I was stuck in a little waiting room on the 4th floor he was put into the room where my daughter would have been going my daughter was scared to death they need to step up on communication also I believe this is one of the only hospitals left that do not let parents stay when they have a baby in NICU they speak about postpartum and everything else well having the parents stay at the hospital with their new baby would help with the postpartum depression etc my daughter went into a full-blown panic attack when she was told she had to leave the hospital they did let her stay one extra day but then she had to come home the next day my granddaughter is still in NICU my daughter drives there every day it's about a 30-40 minute drive with just having a c-section that's hard on anyone just giving birth rather it be C-section or natural so there are a few things that need improved but I can't express how grateful I am for Jenny crane and the way they are taking care of my first grandbaby my daughter's first child now every other thing I had to deal with with this hospital I would give a one star from sitting in the waiting room for hours and not give me feedback when we need it when they came out and told me that okay you can come back now I was like so what is the plans are we doing a C-section today and the doctor looked at me and said the baby's already here so they do need to step up on communication and they need to get this hospital up-to-date like I said letting parents stay with their babies that are in NICU every other hospital does it they need to step up on communications other than that all hospitals have their downsides St Francis has left me with the hole in my chest for the rest of my life and a disease that is eating my sternum and eventually that's going to collapse and I will die nothing we can do about it my heart is too bad so like I said every hospital has its issues but I still choose community South well St Vincent heart is My go-to that's where I would rather be but if not the community South again thank you to Jenny crane for saving...