Washington Health

On May 5, 2026 at about 3:50pm, my husband called out to me and said he needed me to take him to the ER. His lower back pain had become unbearable. I was thinking “oh oooof! Hours in the ER”. And off we went. I pulled up the car, right in front of the entrance (score!) and we entered to start the process. About ten minutes later, my husband’s name was called and he was brought in for an initial evaluation. The staff that handled this part were thorough, knowledgeable, professional and empathetic. Long story short, our overall experience was WELL above our expectations. The reason for the four vs five star was due to the hour long wait while in the ER room #2 after meds had been administered. We were kind of in “the land of forgotten” until I went to the nurse station for an update. All in all, I (and my husband) were EXTREMELY impressed/satisfied with our WHHS ER experience. If you find yourself (which I would hope not) in need of emergency services, don’t overlook WHHS.

If you your loved one is in the “new building” as the staff reference the Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion you practically have to walk a mile from the front registration/check-in desk at the main entrance since the hospital does not staff people there since the pandemic!!! If you have a disability of walking then please be prepare for the long walk or ask for wheelchair assistance. I have provided pictures of the walk as well.

My mom was hospitalized for her heart disease on the fourth floor, and for the first time since visiting this hospital I’ve had a pleasant experience. The nurses seem to be more attentive now, specifically the CNA Fadilla who made a real effort to make our stay pleasant. She made the most difference in our experience, and the 4 star review goes straight to her and the other nurses.

I am writing this letter to describe my experience at Washington Hospital. On May 26, 2026, I collapsed because I was unable to get out of bed. I fell while trying to go to the bathroom. I had barely managed to stand up. At that moment, I began having difficulty breathing and felt severe shortness of breath. My condition was very serious. My husband and I called an ambulance. The ambulance took me to Washington Hospital. They performed various tests and examinations until approximately 5:00 PM that day. However, in the end, I was told that there was nothing seriously wrong with me and that I “just had a cold,” and I was sent home. At that time, I could not move on my own. I could not lift my head. I could not turn to the right or left. I explained that my condition was serious and that I did not want to go home. I also repeatedly told the doctors and nurses that I was unable to urinate on my own. However, my concerns were not taken seriously, and I was sent home anyway. I arrived home at approximately 5:30 PM. At that time, I was wearing a diaper because I was unable to urinate on my own. Just one day earlier, I had been able to urinate normally. I repeatedly tried until 1:00 AM that night but was unable to urinate. My bladder became full, and my kidneys and lower back became increasingly painful. As a result, we called an ambulance again. My experience with the second ambulance crew was very distressing. While entering the elevator, I asked them not to raise the back of the stretcher and instead to raise the foot end. No one responded to me. They raised the back of the stretcher anyway. I screamed and cried the entire time from the fifth floor to the first floor because I could not breathe. I felt as though I was going to die before reaching the first floor. Only after we reached the ground floor did they lower the stretcher. I believe they trusted the first doctor’s conclusion that “nothing was wrong” and did not believe what I was telling them. Unfortunately, I do not know their names. I asked the doctor for access to the patient portal so I could view my diagnosis. I was given a code, but I was unable to log in. I informed them that the code was incorrect and asked for a new one. To this day, I have not received a working code. Because of this, I have been unable to identify the names of some of the doctors and staff members who treated me.

So the other night on Saturday I came to the ER and the doctor to be honest was quite rude along with a male nurse (I believe) with blonde hair especially this man by the way. My IV was not done they did not let me know I was going to be discharged until the last second and pretty much told me I had to go to the waiting room without having a ride arranged or my treatment done and mind you. I have been in some of the worst pain in my life these last two months and I have interacted with very caring and doctors that do all the steps to figure out what’s going on and to provide the best care needed. I think the treatment was okay but the rudeness and guilt that was put on me for being someone that is not in good health and needed to be taken care of and pretty much thrown out without notice was actually insane. Please do better. I do remember this doctors name Joshua nackenson and maybe he can remember that blonde male medical personale because that was actually atrocious. I have had a couple of really kind caring attentive doctors that seen me multiple times and cared to relay the information from the OB and yes I do know the ER are not specialists but where am I suppose to go in the middle of the night when I’m crying from the meds I got and the health issues I’m having urgent care isn’t open and my referral appointment wasn’t until next week. I don’t like to go to the ER and wanted to avoid it. I have to go to work because the economy is bad rn and my health is making it almost impossible to live a normal life on top of it