Harlem Hospital Center

Dear David Simon and the HHC Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Staff,
I am writing this letter to thank you David Simon, and the entire staff for everything that you have done to rehabilitate me post my ACL repair surgery back in May 2015. I came to you in a time of despair and in severe pain after seeing multiple physical therapists who were unsuccessful in treating my condition. You and your entire staff were more than accommodating to me and thoroughly understood what needed to be done in order to alleviate my complications due to a stiff knee, post surgery. Although I noticed that every patient received the same treatment, you and your team always made me feel like I was your only patient. You and your team embody the true spirit of health care and it is because of you David Simon, that I am able to report that I have made a 100% recovery.
I cannot thank you enough for all of your patience, care and hard work throughout May to September 2015. I am confident that any patient in your care is truly fortunate to receive the optimal services that you and your team provided to me. And although, I hope that I will never be in need of PT services in the future, if that time were to come, I will be running to your office. It is with the utmost appreciation that I say to YOU and the Harlem Hospital Rehabilitation Medicine staff, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! Thank you for everything you have done for me, and now my life is back to normal.
You all are truly blessed!
Sincerely,
Kinyarda W.
ACL Reconstruction Surgery/​Post Manipulated Knee Surgery/​PT Patient
May 2015 — September 2015

Yes, it is world famous for various reasons! It’s even been the site for some famous movies’ scenes. I just would like to know why this is the ONLY hospital that I’ve been into that sells items in the FRONT LOBBY that you can find with street vendors? Isn’t it an ACTUAL hospital? So GHETTO!!!

I can’t give a review of the facilities or medical care because I can’t even make an appointment. I’ve been on the phone for the last half hour trying to make a simple appointment and have been transferred in circles (literally) about 10 times because apparently no one knows what they are doing. Was also hung up on about 4 times. I have no health insurance and need the financial assistance of a public hospital, but it looks like it won’t be this one. If they can’t even figure out where to send someone to make an appointment, I can only imagine how horrible their medical care might be.

Okay, I have to be honest I’m not a big fan of going to doctors, or hospitals because I’ve had one too many suboptimal experiences with insulting medical un-​professionals and interminable long waits.
That said you could probably see the chip on my shoulder when I walked into the ER. My experience at Harlem Hospital was extremely positive. I was treated with dignity and respect in spite of my chip. The staff was very professional and good spirited. Penny and Reggie were the best, we laughed, yes laughed a lot. The place was clean (although the restrooms could have been better), bright and is the 1^st hospital outside of NYP I’ve been that didn’t smell like a hospital.
Yes I waited a long time, but the care I got was top notch. My doctors didn’t condescend to me. In my experience this is rare. When I expressed concern that a deeper issue may be being overlooked my doctor actually listened to me and consented to a diagnostic test to put my mind at ease. Well done Harlem Hospital, well done Dr. Kim. Thank you!

My son has gotten EXCELLENT medical care are HHC, I can’t say enough good things about the hospital, the nurses, doctors, aides, PA’s, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, all of them! My son has been there for 4 weeks and had serious medical issues, which have all been handled in a very caring, professional way. Thank you Dr. Emmaneul, Dr. Rahman, Dr. Thompson, Caitlyn, Franco, Francis, and just so many others. You have all helped so much! XOXO

I’ve only gone to the WIC office and the pediatric emergency room of Harlem Hospital with my children. Always gotten fast, friendly care.

Worst hospital ever! I went here for a first time appointment I had made. I went to the registration department at 1:50 pm. Mind you my appointment was for 2:20 pm. So the lady that was going to register tells me come back 10 minutes before your appointment. Ok so I come back at 2:10 pm, then the dummy tells me oh I don’t do registration go to the next window. Wth! So I go to the next window and I fill out the papers to register. The girl in the registration windows had an attitude cause I filled out the papers wrong. I told her I can fill out new papers no problem. The whole time she had a damn attitude. So I fill out the papers and then she tells me move aside. I have to take care of these people that just came in now after me. Really! I waited 3 hour to the the doctor. I came in to the hospital at 1:50 left at 5 pm. Unprofessional doctor and nurses and the bourses don’t believe in using gloves or being sanitary. One of the nurses was busy reading a book, when she should be working.

Asked for Dr. David N. Greenman DDS to make an appointment. The woman who answered the phone was so rude and unprofessional it defies description.
I started out by saying «Hi I was calling to see if I could make an apppointment with Dr. David Greenman?
She barked «Dr. Greenman doesn’t see patients here. where did you get this information»
Now it’s an interrogation like I did something wrong by calling and asking the question in the first place.
«I got it from my insurance carriers website»
«Who is your insurance?»
(I’m wondering why that’s even relevant unless she’s going to correct the records with them?.. no dice).
I told her the carrier name.
«Is that with Medicare?». I have no idea. I pay for it so I don’t think so?
Well is it private or does it come with Medicare?
I don’t know how to answer that. I pay for it.
Thank you I will work it out with my insurance.
hint: people outside the medical billing profession don’t speak your jargon so if you are unwilling to talk to people and or incapable of communicating outside of a really narrow paradigm don’t take a job answering the phone for the general public.
If there was –5 starts I would have given it. Thank goodness I“m not in pain and don’t need an Oral Surgeon! Oh wait. I am and I do!..
Fail!

I wish I could give them 0 stars.
They are so slow, it’s unbelievable. Orthopedics make you wait for hours and hours, it takes 1 hour to check in and then 2 – 3 hours to wait for the doctor to call you.
They have 1 person behind the desk to register all the patients, and 20 more people walking around, talking and laughing and not doing anything.
The worst organization ever. They should hire more professional staff to organize this whole mess.
So eventually, I spent 4,5 hours today at orthopedics. They registered 100 people and then announced they are 1 doctor down and start canceling all registration.
The special sport doctor couldn’t say anything about my lump, after analyzing my MRI and multiple X rays. Now, after waiting for 4 hours he referred me to Bellevue.
And also, doctor couldn’t give me my mri result and referred me to radiology to pick up. In radiology they told me they don’t do it and sent me some place else. In the third location I paid a fee and everything for the copy of my mri and x ray. After I got home and checked the cd, there was only x Ray on it and no mri report, so now I need to go back to these idiots and spend another day with them.
Besides the fact, they can’t diagnose me for 5.5 months, I’m still in pain and didn’t receive any help or treatment or recommendations from them

If I can avoid the emergency room I will, but I have to bring a friend in because she was choking!!! The care was okay, like all hospital kinda slow, at the ER right now waiting for the X-​ray result, it’s 2am… just want to leave but they are taking forever !!!

Terrible fucking hospital !!! And dirty too it smells horrible in there and homeless people sleep
In the waiting area ewww

Don’t even think about coming here. Lost a loved one there right after giving birth to her baby. Lobby is full of derelicts. I repeat do not go here.

The hospital make people shower in gravy. yes that right Gravy. they make you into a turkey.

The emergency room waiting time is ridiculous. Not a fan. My aunt was just in a car accident and they made me wait 45 minutes and I was taken to 3 different entrances before I was able to see her. It was very annoying as your waiting to see your loved one.
Once I was finally able to see her, the nurses were less than enthusiastic and not very welcoming. If you don’t like your job than leave because a Hospital is the last place a person you be unpleasant. Hopefully won’t have to come back, EVER!!!

This hospital is horrible, horrible, horrible. I went there for a follow-​up, mind you my surgery went great and I have insurance, but, this was the 3^rd time I have visited this institution and viewed a level of incompetence, ignorance and disregard for patients health and well being in my life. They could care less about people waiting and checking on the patient either in radiology or in the clinic. When you ask them to check they tell you they will get to it and you will be waiting upwards of 2 – 3 hours even when you have an appointment. This is inconceivable. You can imagine if you do not have any benefits the treatment that you receive. And they wonder why people flip off and want to yell and scream. Not interested not interested do not make this a destination unless its the final, your DOA and they couldn’t fix that problem if they tried.

Outstanding education, patient care. Facilities are adequate. Some delays but overall timely. I disclose that I do work here…

I would rather grow a tree out of my ass then ever go back to this basic, ghetto, dirty homeless magnet. I got there 10:13 pm at 12 a fine gentleman (Honey he was fiiiiiiiiine) started a roll call to see who was still there. Possibly to see who was still alive. We were then informed that it was a 4 to 6 hour wait from that point. I. got in my car and went to a Brooklyn hospital.
No wait and my chart was next. If you thrive off of the smell of bum nuts and the aesthetic of a botched abortion clinic/​1950’s gymnasium. Harlem hospital is for you. Oh one star for the eye candy.

My review is for the bathroom in the lobby at Harlem Hospital, because the bathroom is the only part of the hospital I have personally experienced.
Pros:
Free bathroom!
Friendly security guard to let you into the bathroom! (if you’re a lady — the men’s room seemed to be unlocked and very, very popular)
Cons:
The bathroom is kind of gross — and yet not public park bathroom gross by ANY stretch of the imagination.
There is probably someone weirder than you in the bathroom doing something weirder than peeing.
Dude, you really can’t complain about a relatively clean bathroom that you don’t have to buy something to use, can you? Especially when you don’t know where the nearest Starbucks (AKA free bathroom) is located and you really REALLY have to pee.
The end.

The PT department at Harlem Hospital is GREAT and they really care for their patients! Give their outpatient clinic a try! Petricia is awesome, and so is the rest of the staff!

I was in a Motorcycle accident around Inwood and for some reason, the ambulance brought me to Harlem in stead of Columbia. Maybe they diddnt know that I had health insurance.
So the initial response in the ER was nice, 5 or 6 people made sure I was basically stable. They said the doctor would be back shortly and someone will bring me some ice.
2 hours later, the doctor came. Two hours of people waking by me, one guy on pcp was handcuffed almost within reaching distance of me and every few minutes someone would come in frantic and ask ‚“who is your nurse!?“
After another ER patient was brought in and the divider screen fell on me while operating on him, they decided to bring me to the ICU unit.
These nurses and doctors we’re knowledgable. Unfortunately, they never really included me in the loop. They would tell me to caugh as hard as I could over and over. It hurt because of my broken ribs so I couldn’t do it very well. A few days later, they explained it was to get the flegm out of mmy lungs. That information would have been very helpful a LOT sooner.
Being in harlem, security is very tight. So tight that when family members get what’s called an «Overnight pass,» they’re only allowed in for 10 minutes every hour until 10pm…
The Surgery ward floor is the worst of all. The nurses give you attitude. They change every 20 min so you never know who you’re talking to and they often bring you the wrong meds. No joke. THEY BROUGHT THE WRONG TREATMENTS AND MADE ME FEEL BAD FOR TELLING THEM!
We got one nurse scolded because he kicked my girlfriend and mother out one night for no reason. The next day, he was assigned to us. Awesome.
Overall, communication between doctors and nurses are terrible. Plus, while transferring, it took us like 40 min to find out who the hell my actual doctor was!
I would not recommend this hospital to anyone unless you’d like to ave surprise treatments and the worst hospital experience of your life.