Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Emergency Room — Local services in Orlando

On 9/16/2024 my son was referred to the Arnold Palmer ED by his pediatrician. He was seen by her for SOB and chest pains. Although at her appointment his pulse ox was fine he was not wheezing and his lungs sounded clear, she was concerned about the CP.

We went directly to AP ER. Our wait time and total time there was to be expected, but I was surprised at the quality of care received at the time. Although a chest x-ray was done and EKG, both which came back normal, my son felt as if his concerns were falling upon deaf ears, and truth be told, so did I. However, it was my mistake to not be a better advocate for my son. The medical staff seemed to dismiss his concerns and gave him possibilities as to why he was feeling this way, providing no comfort to my son. In my ignorance, I trusted what they were say…they are the professionals. BTW, none of the staff was memorable enough for me to remember their names. Of course before leaving I was told that the estimated cost was going to be $800+.

Fast forward to 2 days later, school calls me to let me know it appears as if my son is in respiratory distress and they are calling 911. He was taken to South Lake ER. After my experience there, I realized the lack of care and compassion my son received at the AP ER, which was very disappointing. Jasmin and Dr. Kwatra were EXTREMELY attentive to my son’s concerns. Dr. Kwatra ordered another chest x-ray, a CT scan and ordered a full cardiac panel. What was great was that both Jasmine and Dr. Kwatra were very attentive and spent the time needed to address his concerns and give an explanation that made sense to my son. My son left SLER completely at ease.

All this to say, if AP ER staff were a little more compassionate and took a little more time to truly listen to my son’s concerns and acted as if they really wanted to get to the bottom of it, I many not have had to go to the ER a second time, by ambulance no less, and incur GOD knows what type of bill from the ER. I am a single mom, and I am extremely relieved that my son does not have any respiratory or cardiac issues, again confirmed by the great staff of SL ER, but knowing that I have 2 upcoming bills that may each be $1000, if i’m lucky, really is causing me a lot of financial distress.

My son’s concerns were valid. CP and SOB is concerning. All this to say, that our experience at the AP ER was a disappointment and fell short of what we expected, BUT..our experience at the SL ER was absolutely amazing from registration to discharge. Thank you for staffing SL ER with such caring and amazing medical staff. If ever we need to go to the ER for my son again, we will definitely be going to SL ER.

AP Admin - tried to leave feedback on ORMC website and request a call regarding this, but unfortunately I got the circle of death when I hit submit and it never...

This past hospital visit for my kids broken arm was much better than her past visit for an ear infection.

The staff kept her entertained and took care of her. They explained things to her and gave her a chance to ask questions.

What I didn't like is that they weren't able to send home a sort of broken arm care kit to get us started with caring for her cast.

She had previously broken her other arm a few years ago but had gone to a different hospital within Orlando. They were able to give me extra arm wrappings, showed me how to wrap her arm, and provided plastic covering to keep her arm from getting wet during showers. I assumed that this was normal throughout all hospitals and it is not.

I had to Google how to wrap her arm bc I don't remember how to as well as goggle types of wrappings to purchase bc I have no idea what type is better for anything.

Another I didn't like was that her school note was not signed. I didn't think to even check bc I was so focused on her recovery from the medication given to her. Luckily her school gave me no fuss bc I came with the hospital packet and showed them that it wasn't something I could have just typed up myself.

4 stars bc my kiddo was happy but I am very on the line about it all.

--- Update! --- Here we are again.

My kiddos doctor had given me warning signs to pay attention to that need immediate medical attention if she's feeling them. Last night, my kiddo told me she was feeling a certain way so we immediately went back to the ER. This place was packed! That isn't the bad part. Kids get sick all the time so we were fine with waiting 1hr to be seen.

What I wasn't done with was us getting a room in the ER and not seeing a single person in our room for 50 min. It's almost 1a at this point. My kiddo and I walked out and I asked for her to be discharged. The nurses discharged my kiddo with no problem.

I get that the ER was busy, but at least send someone to check in to see if anything has changed or at least give warning that no one will be able to see her for X amount of time. Luckily she stated that she started to get feeling in her hand again.

We left and are most likely never using this ER again. I've only been here 3 times and only 1 of those times was great. It was when she broke her arm. The time before that was for an ear infection. That was its own ordeal. Now this.

Next time my kiddo has an ER need, we're going to a...

I was deeply disappointed with the care I received two nights ago. The doctor’s attitude and treatment of me and my family changed drastically once she learned that we follow a delayed vaccine schedule for our 3-month-old. Her comments were not only rude, but completely unprofessional. We could also feel the shift in the nurses' behavior after this discovery. I came to the ER seeking help and care for my daughter—not to be lectured about what the doctor believes is best for my child, vaccinated or not. In that moment, the priority should have been the care and well-being of my daughter, not her vaccination status.

As a registered nurse, I was particularly taken aback by the doctor’s decision to send us home without any treatment. She initially recommended steroids to help open my baby's lungs if her condition worsened, but after learning we weren’t vaccinated, she returned to tell me she would no longer offer this treatment. The way she conveyed this was not only cold, but downright disrespectful. When she left the room, she rolled her eyes and displayed the most dismissive body language.

The care that night was truly lacking. The nurses seemed indifferent to providing even basic attention. Prior to knowing our vaccination status, the doctor didn’t even consider testing for pertussis. But once she found out, the whole focus shifted to our vaccination choices, and that’s when the mistreatment began. It’s important to note that even babies who receive the DTaP vaccine can still contract pertussis, which shows how misleading and incomplete the data surrounding vaccination really is. A 2007 study in adults showed that the acellular DTaP vaccine induced antibodies wane significantly after just one year. In 2004 Dr. Cherry published results from a prospective trial involving 1,793 adolescent and adult subjects who received acellular pertussis vaccines. Only 20 percent had measurable concentrations of igG antibodies to pertussis toxin after one month. A very recent study by Dr. David Witt, chief of infectious diseases at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center In San Rafael, California, found that the DTaP vaccine lost its effectiveness in children in as little as three years. It’s frustrating to think that my daughter might not have been properly tested or treated simply because of our vaccination status. This entire experience felt more like...