My wife called me from her office in Kensington to complain about headaches. She's rarely sick and never complains about ill health. I was on Bleecker St when she called. Asked her if she thought she could make it to NY Methodist Hospital ER. She was within walking distance. The time was 7PM. Told her I would meet her there. Got there by 730PM They had taken her Blood pressure and told her it wasn't too high. Waited till 930PM before they took her EKG in Triage. Apparently the person doing the EKG wasn't in a position to tell her anything about the results. Still having a painful headache I got up and approached the receptionist who was on the phone. As soon as she saw me approaching, she hungup up the phone, looked at her computer monitor and started reading off the names and bed number of a number of patients that had been waiting. We got to the numbered and curtained off bedhold to find it empty, no bed. She waited standing until I got to one of the two bull pens that were fully staffed with white coats and blue scrubs respectively. Each one of them behind a computer monitor. A staff member finally brought in a bed. The time was 1015PM. At that time, she asked to go home and she'd make an appointment to see her own doctor. Her doctor wanted to see her immediately. Her doctor wouldn't let her leave without her taking some blood pressure medication. Three hours we waited in that ER without seeing a doctor. Had she stroked out, I don't know what I would have done. Unless your physician is associated with this hospital, avoid it. Your health might depend on it.
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