DO NOT GO HERE FOR PYSCHIATRIC ISSUES. I went to the ER because I wanted to sign myself into inpatient treatment due to a depressive episode, the entire staff in the ER was very nice to me. When the pyschiatrist told me she was admitting me to the fourteenth floor (the pysch unit) to stay inpatient, I felt comfortable because she told me that I would meet with a social worker individually everyday, as well as have group therapy, and that I can use the phone from 7am-11pm (she knew my entire family was not from Philadelphia.) Once I got in, the first thing they told me was that there was no way to go outside, not even the windows opened. The phones could not dial different area codes. I am eighteen years old with high fuctioning mental illness that I have been diagnosed with since a very young age. I clearly explained my depressive and mania cycles, and I have been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder by every doctor I have seen. In my discharge papers they stated that I had "adjustment disorder with depression" due to it being my first semester at college, even though I made it clear that wasn't why I was there. The other people of this unit were not high fuctioning and had no regard for personal boundaries such as trying to hug me, and coming into my room even though I made it clear to the entire staff that I also suffer with PTSD. When I was crying and having a severe panic attack because of how horrible and scary the place was, one worker said "just ignore her," my nurse lied and told me if I calmed down they would discharge me sooner even though I already signed my 72 hours just ten minutes after getting there and I was later told there was no possible way to be discharged on the weekend. The doctors consistently gave me benzo's when I was having panic attacks even though I have two different anxiety medicines perscribed that aren't addictive or mood altering. They refused to give me my lamictal for an entire day, and then the next day gave me a higher dose plus Zoloft (which I have never taken before and I told them that SSRI's can send me into a manic episode because the mood stabilizer hasn't regulated into my body yet.) There was hardly any staff watching the patients, they were often left unattended and unanswered. Besides the inhumane, disgusting treatment of all the mental health care workers. The shower lights flickered, there was not an inidividual therapist, social worker, or group therapy. Just two forty minute sessions of art a day. The rest of the time could be spent watching tv, or what most patients did (pace back and forth.) There was no recovery, no structure, and no safety. This is an accurate representation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. After coming home I had nightmares and panic attacks of the place. It was the most horrible experience of my life.
DANGER: PLEASE READ!!!! Deciding to make Jefferson my hospital is the biggest mistake that I have ever made in my life. These uncaring thugs did not tell me about the newer, less painful therapies that I could have received at better hospitals. I unnecessarily suffered permanent damage to my body just so these lowlifes could bilk my insurance company out of $2 million. Jefferson is HOSTILE towards its patients and gives them outdated, substandard care. I usually have to wait two to six hours beyond appointment times before the appointments even START. Jefferson is the only hospital that will not call you a day or two in advance to verify your appointments. Instead, to verify YOU have to call THEM, maneuver through their tedious phone maze and wait one, two, or even three hours on hold. When I did not verify in advance, when I showed up I was told that they had no record of my appointment, even though I presented the card that THEY had written! The food is so horrible that it the worst that I have tasted anywhere; I would not feed it to a dying rat. Their pharmacy has made me wait for up to six hours yet did not even fill all of my prescriptions and claimed to have lost them. Jefferson has double billed me, so watch them like a hawk. They are so cheap that they do not provide free transportation for patients with my disease, like competing hospitals do, despite getting paid over $2 million dollars by my insurance company! Jefferson makes ME arrange and pay for my transportation, despite my fragile, vulnerable condition. ALL other hospitals arrange and pay for transportation for those who have my illness. Their security guard at the front desk even refused to call a cab for me, so I had to travel several times up to the seventh floor just to call one and verify that they were even coming. Any normal hospital would call for you and make all of the arrangements in advance so that you do not have to wait for three to five hours. Cab fare is almost $200 round trip, even though I only live 12 miles away. Thus, expect to pay an extra thousands of dollars per year for transportation costs, which are free anywhere else. If you take a chance on driving yourself, parking is incredibly expensive and a total nightmare; expect to wait 10 minutes just to get out of the parking garage! Jefferson's treatments are outdated and ancient. I am stuck with Jefferson for now; it is them or nobody due at this point. Do yourself a favor, go to Penn which is Ivy League, more highly rated by U.S. News, and in my experience an infinitely better choice. DO NOT MAKE THE SAME LIFE-DESTROYING MISTAKE THAT I HAVE MADE. AVOID JEFFERSON AND THEIR FAKE TREATMENTS AT ALL COSTS!!!!
P.S. Parking is terrible and ridiculously expensive.
The neurology team was excellent, which is why I'm giving this 2 stars instead of 1. Jefferson Neurology is among the best in the region.
Then, no one offered her food. She was there for 22 hours, and I was told my "best bet" was to go out and bring her something back. What, no food service department? Really? All the staff ate. That they seem to leave the patients to fend for themselves is mind-blowing.
But the ER itself seems chaotic and mis-managed. I felt like I was constantly nipping at the staffs' heels to get them to do their jobs. At one point, my daughter was given a medication that prevented her from urinating, so she required a catheter. None of the nurses seemed interested in putting one in, so they just kept ignoring her pleas for help. They were pumping her full of saline but not helping her drain it. Uncomfortable much? My daughter was in tears.
In summary, while I would definitely see the Jefferson neurologists again, the Jefferson ER main campus has lost my business. There are better places to go in Philly for emergency care. I suggest you go to one of them.
March of '15 i came to the ER for bad stomach cramps. Very soon after checking in with the receptionist was i called into a bed-free room, but then it wasn't until i'd say 15-20 minutes (wish i'd timed it) later did a doctor finally see me. During that incredibly-long wait I did attempt to leave but the girl stopped me and told me to go back in, promising the doctor will see me soon (not that i blame her because i was still in pain at that point). I could've died! But then the doctor who saw me said he'd bring out my discharge papers and prescription after they'd taken my insurance info... which would've been another 15-20-minute, unacceptably-long wait had i not gotten impatient and walked out without my discharge papers or prescription. All he did basically was press my stomach in and said "oh, must be constipation-related" and sent me to insurance. Basically, i went home with the problem half unaddressed (it was bowel-related) and still in pain but luckily wasn't as much or this would've been a review with a lower rating. Still, these people need to step up their game.
I have received great care here over the years. The food court in the Gibbon building is a must try.
ER was horrible. Brought my epileptic daughter in with a severe migraine and partial paralysis. She had a seizure in the waiting room and was promptly moved to a private room in the ER. That was good. The next 22 hours? No so much.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals is a US Hospital based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals is located at 1020 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
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