Southwest General Health Center — Local services in Middleburg Heights

Living near here I have always loved Southwest but things have changed over the years and our last visit was the icing on the cake. My fiance was walking around with a collapsed lung for over a week. After we figured out what it was we immediately ran to the ER here. We were told he would probably need additional surgery and they no longer had the specialist surgeon needed so after a chest tube was placed he would be transferred to Metro (or another hospital with a specialist). We asked: since nothing has happened yet and he wasnt in immediate danger why we couldnt just go straight to 1 of those hospitals....and we should have! After being talked in to staying everything went downhill. He had to get a chest tube put in. Having multiple collapsed lungs in the past they were told he needed to be fully sedated for the procedure since he knows how and what things have happened in the past. They supposedly gave him 4 doses of versed yet he wasnt even starting to relax. Not like they cared, they started performing a chest tube with him screaming the entire time and extra nurses on hand to hold him down if needed. He wasnt slightly relaxed or calm or out of it and felt nearly everything while the doctor struggled with the entire procedure. They left him to sit in a gown covered in blood and tissue (but after a while nicely covered that part with a bib) for hours. They couldnt get him transferred to another hospital so after 12 hours in the ER they finally got him in to a room upstairs (thankfully) because it took 3 + hours of asking multiple people to get it "approved" to get any kind of pain meds, nurses didnt check in, etc. At the 7 hour mark we asked about getting him food. At first they said no since he "might be transferred but they will ask again" then after 3 more hours was told "the doctor said he can eat whatever"....like ok? Should i get food? Is there food here at 10 p.m. since there isnt even water in the vending machines. So I had to have a friend bring up food for him. The nurses and staff were much better once he was put in a room, he regularly got needed pain meds, they answered questions when possible and helped him get back to moving around and cleaned up from the still bloody and messed up state he was in from the ER. however, He still needs to see a specialist for the possibility of needing a surgery. They gave us the name of some one to check with but told us to "find a specialist". No good information on how to care for his incision, when or how to get stitches removed (terrible stitch job too). We know hospitals have trouble keeping staff, they cant handle the beds, etc. But even calling to talk to them now results in angry attitudes and...

PLEASE REALLY CONSIDER THIS. I hope this review helps others as I'm still processing everything. I left the hospital in worse shape; suffering mentally and with debilitating mobility issues. During the later part of my visit I felt like I was just being pushed out, dismissed due to prior medical conditions. Being told to go somewhere else, that people leave hospitals in worse shape all the time, and to take this as a lesson for next time when I mentioned aspects of my experience I didn't approve.

Without sharing personal details, I first visited the ER and was later admitted to the hospital. My initial experience left me with pain and severe bruising (I mean just purple blue) practically all over my arm. I felt things were so rushed and ill explained and the hospital did not consider my medical history and how things would affect me. After the ER I would be told one thing and nothing would be done. I could hardly sleep at night, I felt awful and I just burst out crying with the nurse there but was told I had to wait till morning for any doctor staff. It was all just too much at this point. On top of everything my left arm which had the IV was also in so much pain and ended up swelling completely. On my last day I was still hopeful for some help. At this point I had been very concerned bout new symptoms I was feeling but any time I would share my concerns I was told you speak to the next person. In the end I was pushed out being told there's nothing they can do. Saying I would need to go somewhere else where there's better practicing specialists. I was even told that well people go to assisted living for these conditions. How can someone say that, I felt completely in shock. How can a hospital that caused me to feel this way just say we can't help you!? I made it very clear I wasn't asking for anyone to treat all my medical history or ongoing conditions. I wasn't asking for a miracle. All I asked for was help to at least feel like I did before I came to the ER. When things are bad enough to need to go to the ER, it's sad that I'll have to drive out of my way to another hospital moving forward. I'm honestly beyond upset and stressed. Now I have to deal with medical issues where I can't even get in a car or walk around the house or do everything tasks. How can a medical institution that makes claims to provide high quality services do that to...

Most of my Dr's are through Southwest hospitals and University hospital and so is my primary care physician. My primary care physician and the ER staff all have my allergies listed because I live in Berea Ohio which is right down the street from the hospital. I use Southwest hospital for emergency. The ER staff and my primary Dr along with others which I will Post on their website, gave the order to put me on a medication that I was allergic to and I started having seizures and was so confused and upset because they put me on the psych. Unit and then was transferred to Oakview behind Southwest hospital and Again was given the same meds that I was allergic to and nobody wanted to let me tell them that I was allergic to it. They thought I was a psychiatric patient. I have documents of my allergies listed And of my medical history from year's and year's ago when I lived in Columbus Ohio and the Dr's and hospitals I went to before I moved up here in Lakewood Ohio. And it proves that I am not a psychiatric patient. So be very careful with choosing a Dr. And hospital to go to. Other than the ER staff and my primary care physician, I have some great Dr's through Southwest hospital and University hospital systems. Time for me to get a new Primary Care Dr. Update ;the other nasty infection along with the staph infection was E-coli and 1 other infection that was in my wound after the Nurse's were unpacking my wound on my leg after surgery and repacking it.. Dirty Hands And Dirty Staff who work at Southwest General. Make sure you make the staff wash their hands in front of you and put on Sterile Gloves when dressing a Wound. Not the gloves that are on the walls for...