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One of the reasons my husband and I moved to Sandoval County was because it was near a hospital. We have had many occasions to use UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, so we have a good sense of the quality of patient care the community receives.
We have had good and bad experiences, though I would be remiss if I didn’t say at the outset that the problems were not the fault of the nurses and other health professionals. They do the best they can given the hand they’re dealt.
In the Emergency Department, I can see the stress on the faces of the nurses. They have horrible protocols for staffing. It’s clear to a nonmedical professional like me that there aren’t enough nurses. Sandoval nurses are terrific and try as hard as they can, but it’s almost as if they have to play “beat the clock” to see patients and move them on. This is no way to run a hospital.
A recent example for me was when I was admitted to Sandoval RMC for a hernia repair. It didn’t start out well because I was given incorrect paperwork in my packet. I had the surgery and was sent home, only to have to return in two days extremely sick and land in the intensive care unit. I am certain I was sent home too early to know if I was doing well or not.
I am aware that the hospital has received a D rating from Leapfrog, a national group that rates the quality of hospital care. And the national Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave Sandoval just one star out of five on a scale based on quality of care.
Sandoval has apparently tried to sweep those miserable ratings under the rug and just carry on instead of coming up with solutions to fix the patient care problems.
Sandoval needs to be held accountable and must offer solutions to improve the ratings, improve recruitment and retention, and offer training and education for all staff.
The nurses and health professionals formed a union and want to meet hospital administrators at the bargaining table to collaboratively come up with ways to improve. It’s disgusting that they won’t bargain and continuously fight the union in court. None of this encourages staff recruitment, and it certainly doesn’t help worker morale. I think it’s good that patients like me are seeing how they behave. The top executives get paid a lot of money to run an efficient and safe hospital. Problems start at the top, and I hold them accountable. If this is how they behave in public, then it must be way worse when no one’s watching.
The Sandoval community relies on Sandoval RMC, and hospital management needs to get serious about providing every patient a healthcare facility that gives us safe and efficient care.
Jillian King, Rio Rancho