Submitted by MsDemiBurch t3_118p9yn in jerseycity
I've been needing to go back & forth to the hospital alot lately and notice the two hospitals ive went to aren't the best as in overcrowded always. The only "good hospitals" I've heard of were like a hour or so from me so, kind of curious if anyone in JC know any better spots?
I had heard this warning from many people before but recently i needed an ER and didn’t have time to go to the city so I ended up at JCMC. I was surprised at how empty the waiting room was and how quick I got seen. The facilities are also pretty clean.
I was becoming doubtful of these bad reviews until i realized it had been 4 hours since I was checked in with little to no contact with a doc. Sitting in a hallway no less
Hospital ERs have bad reviews because nobody wants to have to go to an emergency room. There are also a lot of people who go to emergency rooms for non emergency needs. Like obviously those people are gonna have to wait until the people who are dying get treated first
This is so wrong on so many levels. There are plenty of ER rooms out there that have competent enough leadership who is able to create a reasonable triage process so that all emergencies dying or otherwise are taken care of appropriately. To leave anyone sitting in a waiting room for 5 hrs without treatment is pure negligence. And blaming bad reviews on people just not liking ERs is lazy.
I wish more people understood some of the factors that play into long waits in the ER instead of looking to get angry in an instant, especially with the struggle of staffing compared to patient volume.
To be fair emergencies take many different forms. Like for example I had 2 bad infections one time when I went to the hospital and I barley had much pain & no fever, so I was treated as I was fine but after tests were done the doctors were freaked out lol. So the er should try their best to treat everyone accordingly if possible but we dont live in perfect world I guess.
But I agree no one wants to deal with the er unless they have to. Unless they are hobos for some reasons lol
Sounds so bad. I'm sorry you had that experience. It's kind of hard expect a super fast hospital experience since it is er but they should be checking in here and there.
This
I'd love to go to a hospital in NY but my insurance would not allow that sadly and I've never been to JCMC but sounds like maybe the doctors aren't great there as far as what I heard. I been to christ the most here and the experience is similar but the doctors & nurses are very nice there, which I'd just keep going there but it's way too overcrowded which makes me very nervous while being immune compromised.
Maybe things have changed in the past few years, but Christ was always chronically understaffed. I had to take my kid there for a severe flu, and while the nurses gave him an IV to hydrate him, he was there for two days and nights and we saw a doctor for maybe a grand total of fifteen minutes. They had one pediatrician who was stretched between pediatrics, maternity, and the ER. Which meant if he was delivering a baby, the emergency room would have to wait and vice versa.
Makes sense. It sucks cause if they had maybe bigger hospital and more staff they would be amazing
From personal experience, Hackensack was the best I've been to in the area.
I was considering going to that one but it is a little far but the closer hospitals I've been to has been kind of crazy unfortunately.
I'm looking for individuals personal suggestions for hospitals around so thanks for the comment, I might just go to that hospital if I dont get another answers otherwise.
It's about 20 minutes by car with no traffic on the turnpike (no tolls if you get on from Route 3 exit). I believe you can take the train from Hoboken to Hackensack but I've never taken it so i can't speak on how reliable it is.
Thank you for the details! 20 minutes isnt too bad, I'm going to give then a try.
As someone who relies on public transportation it is a pain to get to Hackensack or Englewood or Morristown hospital. But by car it's not bad at all. But I would choose those hospitals over any in Jersey City. If I had to choose a nearby hospital I'd go with Newark Beth Israel.
Also, do some research, some hospitals excel at treating certain diseases or have better treatments....keep that in mind.
I've actually have been trying to do some research but when I look at reviews on the hospitals like for recent ones all the hospitals usually have a mix of bad & good reviews lol I know the hospital isnt going to be a fun experience or the same regardless so Its kind of hard to do research on it as far as I know.
Which is why I ask cause I also looked at other people's reddit posts asking while those are usually 1 to 3 years old posts and I was told that hospitals can sometimes get worse or better over the years and I can imagine covid might of really effected that.
As long as you avoid Carepoint/Christ Hospital you'll probably also avoid being butchered and abused. JC Medical Center (most recently acquired by RWJB who are decent reputation wise) is probably the only "local" hospital that doesn't completely suck, but I can't pretend they aren't really busy sometimes.
Hackensack is "a bit far" as you commented on another suggestion but I will tell you that hospital is VERY good and extremely recommended by anyone I know who needed care there.
Have you by any chance went to these hospitals in recent years? I'm sorry if that's a intrusive question but I heard hospitals can vary year to year so. I seen so many comments saying JCMC isnt great (not just talking about my post) but I've also seen people say it's good too I just dont know when they went there last to really say that.
I've been to Englewood for a procedure. Had a cancer scare. And my specialist was affiliated with them. My experience at the hospital was very good. Day of procedure I had a personal escort guide me through the process from start to finish. Currently had some chest pain and my specialist is affiliated with Hackensack. My tests are a week away. Although it is not at the medical center. But have had family members who have been treated there. And it's great. My only negative is that the computer system that they use for scheduling and basic info seems to have issues every time I've had to interact with them.
Have you been to the Englewood one recently? I've been hearing not the best about it in more recent times but never been there. I appreciate you sharing your experience with the two hospitals.
It was a year and a half ago. It felt like I was checking into a very nice hotel. Things seemed calm and orderly. Luckily, I was 100 percent fine and did not need additional services. But did learn that I have an elevated risk for cancer. So in 3 years will be back for checkups.
This is just one personal anecdote, but my son broke his wrist last spring running around in the park after dark. At first he insisted he was fine, so we didn't end up going to the JCMC emergency room until after midnight. Being late, it wasn't too crowded, but they also didn't seem to be all that well-staffed. And someone came in with a gunshot wound and someone else came into the waiting room in labor, so we weren't the priority.
At 4AM I decided my kid needed some sleep, so we went home and went to urgent care in the morning. They wrapped him up and sent him to an orthopedist in the suburbs who put him in a cast, all in less time than we sat in the waiting room at JCMC.
So, moral of the story is less that JCMC is bad, and more that, don't go to the emergency room unless it's life-and-death. Odds are you're going to get better care and faster from urgent care.
Broken bones are pretty easy fix, can be serious but I'm just saying. I 100% know what you mean tho. I'm trying to find specialist to go to instead of the hospital but the wait for some of them is crazy. I'm glad your son got treated fast & you found a solution.
It's suitable for most stuff but I don't think I'd recommend anything in JC area if I had a serious need for interventional care. My dad was in rough shape and was at both hospitals at some point before he passed last year, but I felt JCMC was 100x better from my perspective and my dad seemed to be in good hands (he was just too sick to come back from his overall situation)... I know people who work there as well, but that's besides the point.
I would still recommend Hackensack based on having a lot of in-law family who are up in years and most of them have been trying to go there whenever they need a procedure or such. I realize that even "great" hospitals can fail in certain areas or for certain complicated things... I have a close friend with a rare genetic condition and Columbia and NYU Langone both failed her terribly and she's back down at Hopkins for her care now. It's possible the care she got in NYC actually contributed to how much surgery she needs now. So I 100% understand the concerns you have and why you are asking for more recent validation.
You are welcome to DM if you have any specific concerns and I can try to offer more specific information...
Sorry for your loss! Another thing to keep in mind OP is getting a good doctor. Experience and bedside manner counts. My primary and my specialist(for the cancer scare) listened to my concerns and pushed when necessary when I was stubborn and scared. Also, both weren't quick to push meds on me...which too many doctors do.
Hudson Regional wasn't bad. Nice staff and they will pick you up and drop you off if you need it.
Had a good experience at Holy Name, too.
I never heard of these hospitals before I'll look into them Also what do you mean by pick you up & drop you off? Like a ambulance thing or while ur in the hospital?
Thank you for Sharing btw :)
So think like someone sending an Uber for you. It's complementary, even if you just need to go there for a test. They will ask if you need to be picked up.
That's so cool, I'll definitely look into them
All I know is when I went to JCMC with chest pain/pressure at midnight, thinking I may be having a heart attack bc I knew I had high blood pressure, I ended up waiting for hours to be seen -- thank god it wasn't a heart attack.
for further context - I know you're supposed to call 911/take an ambulance for that, but I was not SURE if I was just overreacting and I live a 5-7 min walk from JCMC
Omg that sounds so bad, ya I'm not so sure about going to them now lol
JCMC is the main hospital so it will always be crowded. I would try Hoboken or the JCMC annex in Bayonne. Christ would be another option in an emergency situation.
I actually have been going to christ most. I went there not too long ago and I was put in the hallway with other patients then was told I was being moved to a room closer to the nurses which was so crowded the nurses was trying to squeeze through beds lol the doctors and nurses were very nice but the wait was 2 ish 3ish hrs in the waiting room. So I've just been going to that one just assuming all hospitals are just like that rn but I'm not sure lol
If your in JC and take public transport then go to Manhattan…. Like 5 of the best hospitals in the nation are a few miles away. New York Presbyterian is like 24 mins by path and is like #6 or #7 in the country.
Weill Cornell in lower Manhattan. It’s close to the path train and if it’s not during rush hour- it can be a 20 minute drive. I had no wait in the ER and they were incredibly technologically advanced (a virtual doctor was on the screen at intake to help decide how to prioritize me and other patients walking in). I might have had prio because of the nature of what I was going through- I was sent in right away. The doctors and staff were professional and seemed to know what they are doing. I have been to JC medical center- that is like a third world country. Same with Hoboken. NYC may seem intimidating but you can get there really fast via public trans or car and it’s worth the car and expertise.
I recommend Holy Name, although it is kind of far afield from JC. Nurses and PCT staff were amazing.
I never heard if this hospital, I'll look it up thank you
JCMC did a pretty good job with the birth of our child. Nice facilities, good medical staff, though the care staff after birth could have been better.
For non-maternity stuff, it definitely seemed like an inner city hospital, a little rough.
Whatever you do never go to the CarePoint Health hospital (Scary Mary) in Hoboken. Uncle almost lost a leg there
There’s a secret hospital hospital in the back of Taqueria Downtown. Tacos are good, their surgical suite is top notch. Never a wait.
Do you really think there’s some secret hospital you need Reddit to tip you off on?
Lol well I'm not looking for a secret hospital but maybe just one I'm unaware of.
So was that an ambulance that ran into the building?
Ok_Journalist3388 t1_j9jfrj3 wrote
Definitely don't go to Jersey City Medical Center, unless you want to sit in a crowded waiting room for 5 hours and still not get treatment.
When I need the ER, I go to Manhattan. The Lenox Hill hospital in Greenwich Village is super quiet and the staff are friendly and helpful.