Memorial Hospital Miramar — Local services in Miramar

Excellent life-saving care by staff and doctors at this hospital in response to a complex situation. I was very quickly admitted because of angioedema of tongue & mouth, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to an antibiotic I had been given earlier that evening in urgent care for an ear infection. I’d had a 47 year history of allergic reactions like this to a list of 7 entire classes of antibiotics, so there was not much alternative of antibiotics to treat the infection with, and they also had to get the angioedema under control quickly. They immediately brought on an infectious disease specialist (Dr Anthony Solanges) , who immediately ordered IV Dexamethasone, Benadryl, EpiPen, SoluMedrol & another type of histamine blocker and albuterol by nebulizer to deal with the angioedema, and admitted me to intensive care for continued treatment & monitoring, and then proceeded to give me IV antibiotic aztreonam (only available by IV) to continue treatment of the ear infection. After 2 1/2 days in ICU, once they were assured that the allergic reactions was under control, they transferred me to a regular floor, where they continued the IV antibiotic aztreonam & other meds. The IV antibiotic had to be continued for 10 days and they were going to keep me in hospital for 10 days. After 4 1/2 days in hospital, I requested discharge to home with self-administered IV antibiotic, pointing out that it would be safer to discharge me to home with instructions to self-administer the IV antibiotic aztreonam rather than to stay in the hospital, where I could run the risk of contracting another hospital-acquired infection. (Way back in 2010 my husband & I had contracted MRSA as a hospital-acquired infection when he was hospitalized for a nephrectomy for renal cancer). The doctor agreed and arranged for a home health care agency to give me instructions to self-administer the IV antibiotic at home and I was discharged to continue at home, with followup appointment with specialists. He will also recommend a followup with an immunologist for penicillin antibiotic testing to determine whether penicillin could be used in the future. Memorial Miramar hospital (Sharon in Dept of Population Health) also followed up with me to made sure I was getting timely appointments for followup, and when I did not, they actually intervened to make sure that I did! This was absolutely the very best treatment I could possibly have gotten. I can make this statement with confidence because of the fact that I’ve had 47 year history of dealing with this problem and because I travel and live in two states, I’ve had this complication happen to me and have been treated in multiple hospitals in 4 states over these 47 years. So I can say that Memorial Hospital of Miramar...

I recently delivered my daughter at Memorial Hospital Miramar, and it was truly a beautiful experience. From the moment I walked through the ER, they were friendly and pointed us to the correct location in which we went through the triage. In that area, they were kind and cautious and kept me up to date on how they were updating my doctor. Once admitted, which was fairly quickly, I was moved to labor and delivery where I met my nurse and the training nurse, they went through the procedure and had me sign the consent forms while explaining everything throughly. During the process, they kept me comfortable and offered whatever could be provided prior to delivery. I had previously spoken to the hospitals Director of Anesthesia as my previous births the epidural failed, she walked me through my options and notated my file before I went to delivery of my previous experiences. Once I decided that I wanted to go in the direction of getting the epidural, my anesthesiologist came in, talked through my options, fully examined my spine and made me feel comfortable about her doing the procedure. I am happy to say, that this time, the epidural worked, and it provided me with a better and more comfortable delivery making it much more manageable and easier to greet my daughter. Throughout my labor, I was so grateful that there wasn’t a large amount of staff coming in and out as with my previous deliveries, the whole experience felt very intimate, during the pushing phase, it was just myself, my husband, my doctor, my nurse and the pediatric nurse, so much better than a room filled with staff making you nervous. My baby was born healthy within minutes, and everyone was so warm, friendly and kind. Once we moved to recovery, we met more nurses, all of which took the best care of my daughter and myself. On night two, a nurse named Kimmy really went above on beyond to speak with me about nursing, she was very kind. Much like all of the nurses, they truly make you feel cared for and comfortable. My only slight negative are the pediatrician that are assigned to assess the babies, there was a lack of human empathy, seemed very “like a number” when they were examining the baby and frankly scared you into thinking that your baby was not healthy. Now, there is a way to still have bedside mannerisms as the nurse staff had. The only other complaint is the food, but I guess hospital food is never the greatest. I would highly recommend Memorial Miramar for their professionalism and caring staff for labor...

I visited the Emergency Department earlier this week and overall had a positive experience with the staff, but there are some concerns that should be addressed.

The triage nurse was incredible—professional, calm, and attentive to every single person in a very crowded waiting room around 11:30 am. She deserves recognition for her outstanding work, but it was clear she was overworked and managing far too much on her own. A hospital of this size should have more support in place so nurses aren’t left to handle the rush alone.

After about a 45-minute wait in a wheelchair, I was placed on a hallway stretcher facing the outside doors since no beds were available. This was especially difficult given that I was experiencing one of the worst headaches of my life, with severe sensitivity to light. Despite the difficult setting, my nurse, Gabbie, was amazing—skilled, attentive, and compassionate while running around managing countless tasks at once. She truly went above and beyond, but again, it was hard to ignore how short-staffed things were.

The ER doctor initially suspected a migraine and treated me with Reglan and Benadryl, which didn’t relieve my symptoms. Later, it was confirmed that I was COVID positive, which explained the severity of my headache. To his credit, the doctor even personally found a pillow for me and showed genuine compassion—something that stood out during the visit.

While the staff provided excellent care, the experience of being in a busy hallway while unknowingly COVID positive highlights the risks of inadequate space and staffing. The team did everything they could, but the hospital leadership needs to ensure there are enough nurses and actual rooms available so patients and staff aren’t put in these difficult situations.

Overall, I am grateful for the professionalism and kindness of the triage nurse, Gabbie, and the physician, but strongly feel the hospital should focus on better staffing and patient flow. That change alone would elevate care from “good under pressure” to...