John T Mather Memorial Hospital

my father died here after a heart attack. we asked for an autopsy and we signed the form in the E R. the next day they called and said they don’t do autopsies that come in the E R and said we should have him privately transported to stony brook hospital because five days earlier he was in that hospital. i felt this was a conflict of interest because stony brook may have been responsible for his death. they still refused to do the autopsy. we never got the autopsy because it all upset my mom and it made no sense to have a funeral home carting him to a place that would agree to do it… there is also a lot of dried blood in the concrete outside the E R. i guess they don’t routinely clean that area… don’t die at this hospital, it’s like a visit to the twilight zone.

I had surgery for thyroid cancer last summer. The staff was incredible. I had to stay for another day to recover and they were all very attentive. The nurse that stayed with me during recovery after the surgery was the best I have ever had. I truly wish I remembered her name. I was very happy with the care I got here.

Let me preface this by saying I’ve seen both sides of the coin here as I worked for a company that had me coming in almost every day. I was also involved in an accident and seen at the emergency department here so you’re getting the full scoop, not just the worthless opinion of some guy who’s mad the snack machine in the lobby ate his dollar. I have personally dealt with members of every single department from the janitors to the head of security. Adult psych, radiology, wound care, ped psych, emergency dept, you name it. All aces. Just about everyone was very nice to me and those who maybe weren’t the nicest (usually social workers) were just a little frazzled and that’s understandable. It’s a hospital. You’re dealing with borderline mentally retarded impatient inpatient patients’ families all day so if you’re not frazzled you’re not paying attention.
The good: You know how I judge a hospital? First and foremost I look in the EMS crew room. Then I look in the men’s rooms. Ever notice how well stocked the EMS room is and how clean the restrooms are in Mather? What does that tell you? Quality. When an establishment cares that much about making guys who work for free or under $ 11 an hour feel a little bit better about themselves, it shows you exactly how they’re going to care for your family. Don’t believe me? Go work EMS and bring a patient to some s**thole hospital in Brooklyn then come talk to me.
When I was in an accident the entire emergency department staff was nice to me and all things considered they had me out of there relatively quick. Whenever I saw staff from CNA’s all the way up to doctors deal with the patients they were always responsive, respectful, and understanding.
The bad: The parking situation is a bit of a cluster when it doesn’t have to be. Parking near main entrance and ER is mainly for staff, handicapped people, ambulance parking, and limited civilian parking. Things get a bit cluttered really easily with morons clogging up the clearly marked «no standing anytime» zones, busting U turns out of nowhere in tight quarters, and I’ve seen many an ambulance have to force these idiots out so they could park. This is unacceptable and the hospital needs to do a better job keeping the landing zone open at all times for ambulances. Once in a blue the local code enforcement constable DOES come through and write parking tickets but this is rare. It needs to be a regular thing with special attention to ambulance only spots.
I’ve sat in my truck watching dinosaurs in boats slowly circling the parking lot searching for «rockstar» parking (front and center) with that clueless slack jawed dementia patient look on their face meanwhile there are MASSIVE free parking lots out back. I know some people you just can’t reach but why are there not signs everywhere letting the visitors know? I also wish they had a little bit better setup for the ambulances/​emergency department. It’s a little convoluted to have to park basically in an uncovered area and get the patients all soaked going in and out of the hospital if it’s raining.
The ugly: You guys made me gain so much weight! Do you have any idea how hard it is to lose all the pounds from the turkey wraps, chocolate mousse, bagels, chicken sandwiches, roast beef wraps, puddings, and cookies?! Every patient I ever asked told me their food is actually good and as a connoisseur of Long Island hospital food I will say in the culinary department Mather is second only to Saint Charles.
In conclusion: Hospitals like these make me hate where I live in NYC even more and realize what a &^thole it is and why everyone hates city folk. We destroy everything and everyone we touch. On behalf of my little slice of Queens let me just say I’m sorry for everyone else and I hope you guys don’t have to deal with too many of us. Oh yeah and PS please keep up the good work and try to address the parking issues.

Don’t wear metal into the mri!