The Value of A Clean Hospital

In order to protect the identity of the hospitals in question, I will refer to the hospitals as Hospital "Good" and Hospital "Bad". 


I wanted to share this story with you to let you know that at the end of the day,whether you are a new mommy or a veteran, "You Always Know Best."


Two nights ago my daughter started throwing up. I took her temperature and it was 100 degrees, so I immediately contacted the pediatrician. After running down her symptoms and current condition they advised me to take her to the ER. I was faced with the choice of taking her to the "Good" hospital or the near by hospital I had never visited. Generally, even when I was in labor, I have driven 35 minutes across town to the "Good" hospital. This particular evening I thought I should take her to the nearby hospital which ironically specialized in Pediatrics. 


I arrived at the hospital and noticed it wasn't in the best neighborhood. I questioned whether I should stay, but I thought to myself, "It's probably not as old as it looked." I walked through the door and I swore I walked into a scene out of "That 70's Show." This place was extremely dated, but I found peace of mind knowing that they specialized in pediatrics. 


The triage nurse escorted me into the pediatrics wing and I almost died. First, all of the equipment was not only dated but dirty. The triage room was dirty and had medical supplies piled into the corner. This was when my concern set in and I began to panic. After they checked her vitals and we went through her symptoms, they escorted us to the ER room. This is when real panic set in and I had to devise a clear plan of action. 


I sat in the room for 5 mins rocking my daughter and gazing around the room. To my shock I noticed that the floor was beyond dirty and the ceiling had brown/red water stains.The bed she was suppose to lay on had dirt stains and appeared it had not been cleaned in years. I felt uncomfortable just being in the room, let alone sitting down in a chair. So, I devised a plan to get us "cleanly" out of this "Bad" hospital. 


After a few minutes I had a plan. See the key was I didn't want to offend anyone in my approach to this most uncomfortable circumstance and I had only so much time to waste. I proceeded to find the nurse and explain to her, "that the doctor wanted us to go to the "Good" hospital." The nurse seemed to have a stunned looked but reluctantly allowed us to leave.


I felt so bad as I got into my car, but I knew I had no other choice in the manner. I couldn't stay in a hospital that I felt wasn't clean and I didn't even feel comfortable sitting in a chair in the room. 


My daughter is doing a lot better needless to say.


The moral of the story is; I don't consider myself an expert but I am a Mommy and even a New Mommy Knows Best!