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rrsafety t1_iwpk860 wrote

I have found the Clinton Hospital ER to have short waits.

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bschav1 t1_iwpqzf1 wrote

Clinton’s ER can’t handle anything serious. I used to work for the ambulance company that was contracted to transfer out of Clinton. If any even remotely seriously ill person comes in, they immediately send them out to UMass, Leominster, Marlboro or Boston. During COVID they were sending people as far as Hartford. It’s a glorified band-aid station and part of the reason UMass is always so packed. Leominster and Marlboro can handle anything short of high level trauma and MI/CVA that may require a catheter or interventional radiology. I once picked up a transfer from Clinton for an elderly woman who fell. X-ray showed no fracture, patient was stable and only complaining of minor pain to left hip. When asked the reason for the transfer, the Dr stated “It’s a trauma. We don’t do that here.” We took the lady to UMass. She was Xrayed again, which was negative again. They gave her an Rx for pain and transferred her back to her facility in Clinton.

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rrsafety t1_iwq9hpo wrote

But if they transfer you from Clinton ER in an ambulance to UMass, you don't wait, you get seen immediately.

I had a gallbladder attack about ten years ago. Walked right in, they drugged me up and my surgery was the next morning. The nurses there were the best I ever had. The place was kind and quiet.

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foxcmomma t1_iwsbpuz wrote

That’s not really true though. Umass has to have an accepting doc who has somewhere Tom put you. It looks like the sending facility is just dragging their feet, but it can take hours to get a spot to send you. I am an ER nurse and it regularly takes me 8-12 hours for a transfer spot to open up. They can’t accept transfers over people already waiting there, either.

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