HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital — Local services in Tamarac

I would like to write about four individuals at HCA Woodmount who stood out and the last one whose name is Uneek like the word unique but spelled differently but still unique in her care of patients. THE OUTSTANDING Dr. Victor Fernandez my Nephrologist who has saved my life and is still saving my life. Danielle who are you where are you? You have always taken such excellent care of me whenever Dr. Fernandez was not on call when I was in the ICU or I am told when I was intubated you showed up at the rehabilitation facility. How can I ever thank you, I will say it it this way thank you for your patience and care of me and for your wonderful bedside manner Dr. Sean Nochimson my PCP, who is still standing by me, Dr. Sean thank you very much for all you have done and all you have continued to do I am blessed to have you as my physician. I am not from the state of Florida and my insurance is an out-of-state insurance policy where other doctors at HCA Woodmount drop my case because of that because they feared not getting paid (Yes that is indeed a true story heard by my family in the hallways at Woodmont which my sister will write in her review on this matter) And yes it's despicable. I am very thankful to these physicians and practitioners for their care and attention and for standing by their medical oath,I am alive because of them.

On my third and I truly believe my last visit to HCA Woodmount or any hospital at all in Florida like Uneek who is the Manager on the third floor told me repeatedly "Gary you got this now“ she is in the photo with me below she took me out for Sunshine Therapy something my eldest sister who is a therapist repeatedly inquired about and all ignored until we stopped asking the staff on the second and fourth floors during my other stays. Keep in mind I have been critically ill and in and out of HCA Woodmount since March of this year 2025.

Thank you, Ms. Caren Bock, CNO for my room, and all you did for me I sincerely appreciate all your efforts. Kim, thank you for stopping by and checking in on me and the staff on the third floor who cared for me was outstanding thank you all.

THE BAD EXCEPT there head nurse Carleen (not sure if I am spelling her name correctly) is not at all competent to be the head of anything my Mom, sister and I wanted to report her several times she made a medical error and we mentioned it to my sister who lives overseas my sister advised us to speak to Kim, Director of Nursing (a very nice person) we decided not to when Carleen made it clear Kim would "cover her“ my Mom replied "is that so“ we spoke with my sister who lives overseas again she said she would take care of it when she returns to the States. My other sister was a witness as well this is well documented.

Ninety percent of the third-floor staff were Amazing however Uneek is not just staff she is management and she not only came in to say hello that one day, she started me back on my journey amongst the living I was a patient but she stated that I was a human being and she knew I was a beloved only son and baby brother. As I wrote earlier and in the picture of Uneek and me below in front of HCA Woodmont which was taken in July my first day of Sunshine Therapy, I will admit to being afraid that very first time, how wonderful did it feel to have the Sun in my face. Uneek said to me after a while outside before heading back inside and back to my room "see Gary you got this” I am paralyzed on my left side due to the stroke, with the most encouragement I have ever received from my stays at HCA Woodmont Uneek puts a different spin on patient care it's not just me alone she shows this unique type of care to. I have been out in the hallway of my room I have seen and heard Uneek with other patients. She is honest and never disrespectful. One of my siblings is a profiler and I understand what that means therefore I would describe Uneek as a patient profiler who can profile each patient's needs or distress and plan for that patient's care and recovery. Uneek, "I Got This” ...

My 91 Years old Mom was admitted into this hospital on 5/9/25, for Gastric Outlet Obstruction issues. (In layman terms, which is basically cause from having acid reflux problems over the years) This has been an issue for over two years now, so my family and I are familiar with the drill and what needs to be done to correct the issue which cause her to vomit when she eats. The doctors said unless she does surgery it will keep happening, which is every 7-12 months that we have seen, and we are quite OK with that, instead of surgery which is what they were very anxious to do. When they saw that we are not agreeing to surgery, then they said OK she will need Hospice care, and after looking at reviews we said NO way to that also. When they saw that that's not going to work in their favor either, they drugged her up to made it look like she is now psychotic and hallucinating. We saw her looking great the night before which was on Tuesday the 13th, and by the time I got there after work on the wednesday, she was shaking and her eyes popping out of her head, and asked the sitter that was in her room, what was going on, and she said the nurse (I will not call names, because they know who they are) gave her meds 7 mins before I got to the room, and when I ask why and for what, they told me she was trying to get up off the bed and acting up. I told them yes my Mom gets like that once she reaches the 4-5 days into the hospitals because she wants to go home to be in the comfort of her own home. so to say the least she was not doing well or communicating because she was so drugged up. So my sister and I decided she needs to get out of the hospital, since the issue as to why she went in has be improved. The Doctor ok her to be released yesterday Thursday 5/15/25, and to my sister and I surprised when we got there to take her home, they said the order was cancelled, because the Doctor said they need to do a Physiological evaluation and she will need to take Meds over night so she cannot leave. To say the lease, we were very upset and told everyone we will be taking her home with or without Doctor's order. and that's exactly what we did, because we realize it was all about milking the insurance, and it's more money for them every day that she spend, and they need reasons with the insurance as to why they are keeping her longer. The minute they took her off the IV's and all of what was hooked up to her, one of which was making her sleepy and not communicating, she was fine within 5 mins. We sign the papers that we are taking her out of the hospital since the Doctors refuses to because he could not get his wish granted. We took her home gave her a good bath, dry shampoo her hair because it was smelly, she went to bed and slept like a baby, today Friday May 16th she is doing GREAT. I must add a few of the staffs were great and you could tell they genuinely have a passion what what they do, while some it's just a job for them, and poor thing some cannot help it because they have to do what the doctors tell them to do. Thanks to the nurses who cared for for Mom, you know who you are... I would not recommend...

**Avoid this hospital at all costs.

HCA Woodmont Hospital in Tamarac, FL, failed my family and, most importantly, my 95-year-old grandmother in her final days. What should have been compassionate end-of-life care turned into a nightmare of neglect, incompetence, and outright cruelty.

My grandmother was admitted for circulatory issues in her right foot and evaluated by Dr. Mark Akselrud and vascular surgeon Dr. Marek Zalewski. After surgery was deemed too risky, we made the devastating decision to focus on her comfort. Her doctors assured us that she’d receive morphine every four hours to keep her pain-free. Instead, the staff administered it only “as needed,” despite her being non-verbal and unable to communicate her pain.

On November 20, I found my grandmother moaning in agony. When I demanded that the nurse administer her overdue morphine, she refused, citing low blood pressure—ignoring our clear instructions and the care plan agreed upon with the doctors. After hours of arguing, she reluctantly gave the morphine, but only after significant delays. That night, my grandmother’s roommate’s family told me their mother was crying because she couldn’t bear to hear my grandmother’s screams of pain.

Basic care was also neglected. Despite agreeing to a liquid diet because my grandmother could no longer eat solids, the hospital served her a bagel for breakfast and a tuna sandwich for lunch. This disregard for medical orders was inexcusable.

The final insult came during her transfer to hospice on November 21. After an hour of waiting, I found one EMT on two phones, watching Stewie from Family Guy. During the transfer, the EMTs raised the hospital bed higher than the gurney, causing my grandmother’s body to get caught in the mattress. My 70-year-old mother and I had to physically support her frail body as she screamed in torment, trying to prevent her from falling to the floor. This was torture, not care.

When I demanded to see a doctor, the lead nurse coldly informed me, “There is no doctor here.” How does a hospital have no doctor on staff at 1:30 p.m. to care for a dying patient?

Adding to this chaos, when I tried to file a formal complaint with hospital security, I was told that the person in charge refused to speak with me.

This hospital’s neglect, lack of compassion, and blatant incompetence have traumatized my family forever. The staff ignored medical orders, dismissed our concerns, and left a dying woman to suffer. This is not healthcare—it’s malpractice.

HCA Woodmont Hospital should be ashamed. To Cory Mead, the CEO: your hospital failed my grandmother at every turn. Since your staff refuses to take accountability, I am sharing this publicly to ensure no one else endures the horrors we did. My grandmother deserved dignity and compassion in her final days. Instead, she was subjected to unnecessary suffering, and our family will...