University of Utah Hospital — Local services in Salt Lake City

I would give -5 stars if that was an option. TL, DR at the end.

So... I finally feel ok to publicly disclose this. In May 2022, I was experiencing severe mental health issues, and had to be admitted. However, it was about to get SO much worse.

There was absolutely nothing to do in my room and I was not allowed out of my room except to use the restroom. When I asked why, I was told that it was to be in alignment with HIPPA.

This was supposedly true, despite not not being able to see any computers or other PHI (personal health information) or PII (personal indentifying information). Right. Ok.

I was made to wait in that room for nearly 12 hours, and was briefly asked how I was like twice, but never about my triggered state. They knew why I was there.

I was told that because of my behavior (despite dealing with a fresh, HORRIFIC, traumatic memory), they had a room that was better but then withdrew it because it was a "privilege". What??

I fully acknowledge that I was very belligerent to many of the staff there. However, I was very, VERY triggered by the horrific memory that surfaced just that morning. Reacting out of an intensely triggered place is extremely difficult to manage or stop. Plus, staff made it worse with their callous behavior from start to finish.

I asked for support or something to do, but I just kept getting told no because of HIPPA. This was true despite most other patients having a TV and comfy bed. Okay?

I even told the crisis worker about my traumatic memory making things extremely hard, and he didn't even acknowledge my feelings or validate them. He just gave a bunch of reasons why things were the way they were, and why it was my fault I wasn't receiving a proper room.

The crisis worker also cut our conversation short before I could get in a headspace to request the help I needed. Plus, after having been mean to the clinical nurse a few times, she told me "If I have to come in here again, you won't get a different room. It's a privilege."

I told her all patients should have a room with the same amenities, and was met with a judgmental, disgusted look.

On top of all this, nobody ever checked on me. The only time that happened was when I started hurting myself, but I was treated like a problem.

Plus, I heard staff laughing more than once, right after I began sobbing in extreme emotional pain. My nurse also threatened to put me in restraints (1960's mental health care, anyone?).

She didn't ask what was wrong, and neither did any other staff at any point, even when I was being decent. I was left in there for nearly 12 hours without anyone asking how I was, without any conversation, and without any kind of feeling like I was a human being with feelings. I honestly felt like an animal or sack of trash to them. Totally dehumanized.

The U of U has published "patient rights". Here are my patient rights that were violated:

Respect in a caring and safe environment.

Proper evaluation and treatment (my mental health diagnosis is in MyChart)

Be free from abuse and harassment (I don't even need to explain why this one is valid)

Have your concerns heard and resolved when possible (nobody gave any help for a very, very long time while I battled the hell of being severely triggered on my own)

Be involved with your care through discussions with your caregivers.

Be informed of benefits and risks of your treatment options and agree to or refuse a course of action.

TL; DR: University of Utah Hospital - Your calloused approach to trauma and mental illness is nothing short of appalling and degrading to individuals like myself. If you can't treat the traumatized & mentally ill with dignity, then you shouldn't EVER be working with us! Period.

That is especially true after you completely glossed over my formal grievance, saying you acted in accordance with established protocol.

What about established, universal medical morals, like the old adage, "Do no harm"?

Until you change your protocols for mental health, this review will stay up. Permanently. Thank you...

DR. DRUCK IS THE MOST CONDENSING , ,ARROGANT, GAS LIGHTING, EGO DRIVEN HUMAN I have ever came across ! This man really thinks he is something . He should not even be in health care with his abrasive, gas lighting attitude. He made us feel like we were defendants and he was a prosecutor . He has no empathy , absolute ego driven by the power and the reins he holds. His exact words to me were , " any more questions from the peanut gallery?" YEP , for those who do not know the definition, look it up ! Throughout the entire exam he down played my daughters complaints, he even through in a comment " there's your workout for the day " and then ends it by asking me ( her mother ) any more questions from the peanut gallery ? WOW! WOW , and WOW! When I called him out on it , he down played it , and once again gaslighted me. NEVER ONCE OWNING HIS BEHAVIOR . NOT ONE APOLOGY OF ANY KIND . I of course asked for someone in charge and a charge nurse acted like she might actually care and agreed that yes we should do an MRI , CAT SCAN ECT and agreed that he had used a very poor choice of words and that he acted inappropriately. Our hopes were high once again . Sitting in the room waiting we looked up his credentials. My daughter said , " no one here is going to be able to go over his head , no one can help us . " She was right , he held all the power in that emergency room , and his ego was not going to give .in . Now let's get to the rest of our experience. There' s MORE They brought my daughter down to do an ultra sound . Which we both were happy about , thinking at least it's some kind of testing . Only to find out they had the wrong patient when they proceeded to ask her about her liver transplant ! She said , WHAT? WRONG PAITIENT! YEP , WRONG PERSON! ( ACCIDENTS HAPPEN NOT TO BIG OF DEAL We are human ) BUT THE NEXT MISTAKE !! The next mess up , once again not a huge deal , we are all human. .BUT DRUCK LIED ! The nurse came in and told us thet had lost my daughters urine . I went out to the nurses station and asked about my daughters urine test. Knowing it had been lost . His response was " I just checked my computer and the tests are still being ran on it. I said no they aren't , they cannot run any tests with no urine, I SAID , they lost her urine. His reply " was "No they DIDN'T! " Then he QUICKLY shifted the conversation on himself , and glooted himself , with how many years experience he had , and his this and his that , and how amazing he is ! Shifting the subject right off of the blatant lie he had just told ! YEP ! SO once again , I called him out ,he gas lighted me , AND ONCE AGAIN , He DIDNT TAKE ANY ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HIS ACTIONS . COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME ! My poor daughter has had issues going on for over a year and has had numerous visits to the ER with no answers . WHY ? because none of them have done any kind of extensive testing . We specifically came to the University of Utah because we expected to get better care beings that it is a trauma 1 facility . We waited the 6 long hour wait , that goes along with a trauma 1 learning hospital in hopes they would do extensive testing and get down to the bottom of my daughters symptoms. We made sure to explain our reason there , and what we wanted and expected . The nurse told us that we came to the right hospital and assured us we would have answers before we left . We had two different nurses assure us that my daughter was going to be taken care of . False hopes and lies . A man who blatantly lies, denies , and takes no accountability for his behavior needs to have his authority taken away . He definitely shouldn't be in...

I cannot imagine better care than I received during my most recent hospitalization. Carolyne greeted us as soon as we walked in, got me into a wheelchair and personally delivered me to the ER. There was a lengthy wait in the emergency department, but they kept me and my wife informed at all times as to what was happening. They also made the best use of that time by getting blood work and X-rays underway. Everyone was so kind, I cannot remember all of the names and feel bad leaving anyone out. There was a doctor in the ED who realized my wife was trying to close her eyes and sleep on a folding wooden chair in the corner of the transitory room; he personally brought her a larger chair to stretch out a bit and also provided a pillow and blanket for her to use - yes, the DOCTOR went out of his way to do this in the middle of the night! I entered the ER around 7:30 p.m. and at 2:30 the next day was taken to the cardiac catheterization lab for a procedure. My wife left to try and check in about 20 minutes early at the nearby Marriott (The Guest House was full) and wasn’t accommodated by them, so she returned to the 4th floor cardiac ward and Anthony told her my status and said he would keep her posted in the waiting area. The cath lab was very busy and the waiting rooms were full, so she ended up sitting in a chair by the pop machine near the elevators, but a man of his word Anthony tracked her down and brought her to my room right after the procedure. A very nice young man named David came in to talk with me post-op and I felt bad sending him away, but I was exhausted as was my wife who at that point had been pretty much awake for 36 hours except for a brief catnap pin the ED. Dr. Welt, Dr. Tuday, Dr. Brewster and Dr. Metcalfe were fantastic. Dr. Metcalfe was very personable and exhibited a caring and compassionate bedside manner while maintaining the highest level of professionalism. Dillon and Elliott were always nearby and attended to anything I needed. Melinda stopped in on the morning of my release just to introduce herself and let me know she would ultimately be handling my discharge. A medication was added and the pharmacy personnel hand-delivered the prescription and provided information and counseling in my hospital room. Melinda covered every aspect of my discharge and made certain that my wife and I were both aware of necessary monitoring over the next several days if the entry site as well as regular weight and blood pressure monitoring once at home to avoid complications. I was discharged just after 6 p.m. and stayed the night nearby ‘just in case’ before returning to my home nearly 5 hours away. Again, I cannot imagine better care and I am baffled by the negative reviews. The next morning before heading home (Saturday) my wife went to the U of U Urgent Care at Sugar House. Again, top notch and very kind and caring staff in the urgent care as well as the pharmacy. She ended up with a bladder irritation, likely brought on from dehydration and her stress over my ordeal. Again, I cannot wrap my mind around the disparaging reviews. The urgent care was larger and more competent than the local hospital where I live. For people who live in or near Salt Lake City I wonder if they know how truly blessed they are to have world-class, cutting edge medical care available in their own back yard. I wouldn’t consider going...