Ascension Columbia St. Mary's - Water Tower Medical Commons — Local services in Milwaukee

On Friday, August 16, 2024, my wife and I arrived at the first floor Lab of the Water Tower Medical Commons for a blood draw. It was about noon. My wife believed that her cardiologist had requested bloodwork, but she was unsure and wanted to check. She stepped up to the attendant to inquire but was told, immediately, to check in at the newly-installed kiosk. This room is small, intimate really, and the kiosk felt obtrusive. Worse, my wife simply needed an answer to one question: had her doc ordered her bloodwork; she needn’t check in at the kiosk if he hadn’t submitted the order.

Other patients arrived as my wife completed her kiosk check-in, so we sat down to wait. A few minutes passed, then a woman emerged from the lab, crossed over to the entrance door, locked it, then re-entered the lab without a word. Now, there is a tall window beside the entrance door. Sure enough, after a few minutes a patient (with a walker) arrived outside and tried the locked door. Unable to enter, he looked at us through the window. My wife went over and let him in. Suddenly, the lab attendant (who had locked the door) emerged and announced that they were closed for lunch. At that very moment, another patient tried the locked door. The lab attendant cracked it open and explain their lunch closure to the angry patient.

The entire episode felt chaotic and haphazard and was one the worst instances of patient care I have ever witnessed. A simple “closed for lunch” sign on the entrance door would have addressed the confusion. Or, better, a staggered lunch shift, since often working people use their midday break to address responsibilities like lab visits. What you don't do is simply lock the door. This workspace needs a supervisor, badly. And in the end, after a half an hour of this embarrassment, my wife’s doc hadn’t...

Dr's were AMAZING! A few nurses were professional. SOME weren't. First visit there, I'm praying that no one ELSE has AN AWFUL EXPERIENCE LIKE WE DID!! NEVER AGAIN. IT WAS UNIMAGINABLE... I ASKED THE NURSE COULD HE WALK WITH MY DAUGHTER (PER DR ORDERS) HE RESPONDED NO I HAVE OTHER PATIENTS. WE WEREN'T GIVEN DISCHARGE PAPERS, ONLY A AFTER CARE SUMMARY.THAT WASN'T CLEAR. NO ONE OFFERED A WHEELCHAIR, NOR DID THEY ASSIST MY DAUGHTER TO THE CAR, WE WALKED OUT OF THE ROOM DOWN THE HALLWAY TO THE ELEVATOR AND THEN WENT TO THE PARKING GARAGE GOT IN MY VEHICLE AND CAME HOME. VERY MUCH A BAD EXPERIENCE. LAB TECHS NOT VERY EXPERIENCED IN LOCATION OF VEINS. POKING MY DAUGHTER TO THE POINT SHE'S ALMOST IN TEARS! I FEEL BAD THAT THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF WAS SO FEW AND FAR BETWEEN THAT I CAN'T ACKNOWLEDGE THEM BY NAMES. THE UNPROFESSIONAL STAFF OUTWEIGHED THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF! I UNDERSTAND BEING OVERWORKED AND UNDER STAFFED YET THAT'S THE POSITION THAT YOU CHOSE, BE PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS...

I actually enjoyed my "breast" check ups!! I just LOVE Dr. Lal!! ❤️ Everything is going well/she told me today would be my last appointment with her unless something would/does come up!! She'd be there/here (I know she would!) if I would/do need her for something!! THANK YOU DR. LAL. 😊 You've been a Wonderful/Blessing to/for me in my life!! Your/the assistants have always been kind/supportive for/to me too!! (Mary/Cindy-today Sheila/Amber!) THANK YOU 😊 ALL!! I'll Gladly miss you all!!😎😐I LOVE my Jennifer Price also!! ❤️ She was always there when I needed advice/opinions!! So supportive/helpful to/for me!! Such a Wonderful/Positive lady to/for me in my life!! When Dr.Lal was unavailable (rarely) Jennifer was right there for me!! I'm not sure if I would have gotten through my early "breast" removal without her support/postiveness!! THANK YOU 😊 SO...