CityMD Grove Street Urgent Care - New Jersey — Local services in Jersey City

Unfortunately, there isn't an option to leave zero stars for a very traumatizing experience in this office and with Dr. Amir Estephan.

I went in for an emergency on December 2023. It was for swollen finger tip. He said he had to first numb my finger. It wasn't clear why he had to numb it. He didn't prep me at all for the pain...A first gigantic needle went in on one side of the finger and it was the most painful thing. He then told me he had to do it again on the other side of my finger. And as I was crying to have him not do it, asking him to stop, he went ahead and did it anyway...I was in so much shock and pain that I needed to call my sister. Keep in mind, I had no idea what he was trying to accomplish. Only then, did I realize he was trying to perform a culture and collect a sample to send it over to the lab for tests...He never told me what he was doing!! As I was on the phone with my sister, having a panic attack, my sister asked him what he was going to do. Now that he had "numbed" my finger, he could go ahead with the medical procedure involving a knife. My sister asked him to use something less sharp to make sure that my finger was numb, and he agreed. Well turns out, my FINGER WAS NOT NUMB. LOL I can't imagine how painful it would've been if the doctor went ahead with his first knife pick. The needles he had inserted to "numb" my finger were pointless. I felt EVERYTHING. The whole office likely heard my agonized cry. I had never let out a cry like that...my sister was so concerned on the phone that she yelled at him to stop.

That day, I did not give him consent to proceed with the second needle. That day, he violated my rights as a patient and I was subjected to the most unbearable pain. My finger wasn't numbed from this "needles". That was the last day I set foot in that office.

The next day, I ended up going to visit my PCP about my finger situation. I couldn't trust Estephan and his service. I was concerned about what he did to my finger. After telling my PCP about what happened, he said the City MD doctor poorly diagnosed me. And the fact that he did not numb my finger after two needles is astonishing. And how he proceeded with the procedure when I insisted him not to, is a violation. I wish I reported him earlier.

The staff poorly handled the situation. The male "assistant" just watched as I endured all this pain. No one offered me water after the procedures. There was no compassion. The malpractice and failure to recognize the wrongdoings of a provider, who is meant to care for their patients and respect their rights, has scarred me for life. I can't help but think things would've been different if I were a man. Perhaps I would've received better quality healthcare if I wasn't a young 25 year old woman (i was in a room with two men - one was a physician, the other was a healthcare worker). Maybe things would've been different if I was treated by a female provider...Gender bias is real.

Be cautious of the treatment you receive in this office and from their providers. They are still trying to bill me for that day and dismissing my complaints. I encourage you to visit your PCP before attempting this urgent care. And if you do, I suggest avoiding...

On Monday Feb 3, 2020, I noticed my 2 year old daughter was crying whenever she bent her elbow. She kept her arm hanging and cried in pain if it were touched or moved. My wife and I immediately rushed her to CityMD, 340 Grove Street in Jersey City around 7:45PM, 15 mins before closing. My wife called prior to us getting there and they had kindly told us that as long as we get there before 8PM we could be seen. My daughter was promptly taken in to do her vitals.

My daughter was "seen" by Dr. Frank Flores and it was truly heartbreaking to receive this type of care for our toddler. From the moment the doctor came in to the examination room, he was impatient and eager to go home. My wife demonstrated the reason for our visit by gently bending my daughters elbow, and my daughter began to cry.

Dr. Flores just looked at her as she was getting her vitals done and said she looked fine. He did not roll up her sleeve or see if there was any swelling, he did not have any contact or engage with her at all. He did not even attempt to be friendly with the child and showed a total lack of compassion and care. He continued to say it was "nursemaid elbow" and to "Google it," so he "wouldn't have to spend an hour explaining it." My wife was worried and began Googling. She asked if it was a common condition for toddlers. Dr. Flores rudely and firmly replied "Yes, Maaaamm." He said we can do a X-ray of the elbow but "there was no need because it will PROBABLY come back negative because it LOOKS fine." So as parents, we decided it would be best to have the X-ray done and confirm everything was OK. Dr. Flores was rolling his eyes and very frustrated with our decision.

After the X-ray Dr. Flores returned and rudely handed me the X-ray results and VERY smugly said "negative" and left the room. He did not even bother to explain the report but just expected me to read it.

The behavior from Dr. Flores was ridiculous, unethical, and negligent. Its his duty as a medical professional to explain things to patients rather than telling them to "Google it". He obviously does not know how to do his job well. Or doesn't care about it, evidently.

I have never received such treatment from a Physician, let alone for my toddler. 2 year old children cannot verbalize how they feel and we rely on Physicians to give them the best care and diagnosis. Dr. Flores left us feeling extremely uncomfortable and uneasy. And frankly, angry. He made us feel as though we shouldn't have come in and were bothering him. Due to his behavior, I highly doubt I will be coming to CityMD or referring...

I'm about to report this place to the New Jersey Department of Health. The staff here is incredibly inefficient and lacks empathy for people. It feels like they only got their doctor or medical specialist diplomas to have a career, but they don't know how to treat people with the necessary health guidelines and kindness. I went to this place for an emergency due to an incident at work. I urgently needed blood tests and a vaccination plan to prevent future diseases. They didn’t want to accept my company's health insurance because they only take personal and high-coverage insurance. That was their policy, which they made very clear.

They brought in all the medical assistants to tell me the same thing. I asked if I needed a vaccination or prevention plan for the work incident. They said it wasn’t necessary and told me to go home. They added that if I insisted on getting the vaccines (which would be my choice), there would be an extra charge because, in their view, a vaccination plan wasn’t necessary. I told them I had no problem paying because I had work insurance. They told me not to insist on using my company's health insurance and to just go home, assuring me everything was fine.

Unfortunately, over the past 45 days, I've had constant fevers and a severe allergy problem that could have been prevented with a vaccination plan at the time of the incident, according to a health specialist from the New York State Department of Health. I feel that in the coming days, the news will report on this place for irresponsibly neglecting my health problem. If I could give zero stars in this review, I would. This shouldn’t happen, but I want to warn you: if you have a health problem, go to another medical center. This one CityMD Grove Street, only wants your personal health insurance and high monthly premiums. And be prepared for bills that won’t be...