Paris, Tenn.–Henry County Medical Center CEO John Tucker has said the hospital will be making “significant changes” in the wake of a disturbing experience reported in the hospital’s emergency room Monday night.
A Facebook post and viral video posted by David French of Paris on the experience he and a friend had at the ER Monday night. The post has received a lot of attention and comments and Hospital CEO Tucker responded Thursday with a public statement on the HCMC Facebook page.
This is Tucker’s post:
“To our Community –
Early this morning I learned some disturbing news about a patient not receiving the attentive treatment they deserved when they presented to Henry County Medical Center’s Emergency Department.
While we have been working for several weeks to improve our ED’s responsiveness, those efforts have obviously been ineffective. We will be making more significant changes as a result to provide efficient and improved quality of care by excellent physicians and staff who have your care as their highest priority.
John Tucker, CEO
Henry County Medical Center”
French brought his friend to the ER around 11:30 p.m. Monday night. His friend was extremely sick, in pain, with a fever and vomiting. He said his friend was finally put in a small room with a single recliner that did not recline.
French said, “There were about 7 empty ER rooms, he was stuck in this little closet with a recliner that didn’t even recline. I kept asking for a bed because all the rooms were empty. They said you’ll just be here a few more minutes after another hour, asked for a bed, we are about finished, he is vomiting in a trash can full of trash, that was sanitary with several other peoples waste, I told the doctor, he handed me a trash can from under rhe counter, which had trash in it also.”
Hours passed and French documented what was happening on his phone, showing other rooms with beds in them that were available and a doctor alseep at the nurses station.
French said in his post, “The sleeping doctor, one nurse? Totally understaffed. Totally incompetent. It’s a dangerous situation to be in.”
French said, “The statement you can’t have a bed because you will only be here a few minutes turned into 5 hours stuck in a chair with no bed, very little care and unsanitary conditions.”
Photo: Patient in recliner during five-hour ER stay. (David French photo).