Novant Health

Right off the bat I’m deducting 1 star because I don’t understand why a hospital would make visitors pay for parking. And, don’t tell me that all hospitals do because they don’t. Unfortunately, I’ve visited many people in the hospital and I worked for one that did not charge for parking. I just keep thinking about the people who are poor and want to visit their family but won’t because they can’t afford the PARKING! I’m a social worker and I know that $ 3 may not seem like a lot but to many people it is. Secondly, on the same note it really, really irritates me when hospitals segregate patients based upon insurance type — i.e. Medicaid or charity patients. Again, don’t tell me they don’t because I worked in a hospital and I saw it with my own eyes. My mother was admitted and she has Medicare and Medicaid. The room she was placed in was run down, dingy and ridiculously small. The RNs had to squeeze around the footboard of her bed to get to the other side of her body. There was no soap in the soap dispenser and don’t get me started on the tiny, tiny water closet (where the toilet was). If you sat on the seat you had to turn your legs to the side in order to avoid hitting the wall. I will say, however, that my mother’s nurse and CNA were both very nice and attentive to my mother. The MDs — as usual — lacked warmth in their bedside manner. Anyone who’s in the hospital needs a family member or friend to be there with them to observe, ask questions and advocate for them.