Posted on 02/22/2012 4:41:58 PM PST by catnipman
OK, this is my first vanity post, and it's addressed to Phoenix Freepers.
I'm traveling to Phoenix from the Denver metro area for a medical procedure. I have a choice between St. Jospeh's Hospital and Medical Center and Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, as the doctor has access to both.
Looking at satellite maps, Good Sam looks like a better area for accessing grocery stores and such, compared to the downtown location of St. Joes, which doesn't look particularly appealing to me.
Any Phoenix Freepers care to comment about the two hospitals and their respective neighborhoods?
Thanks.
I’d be more concerned about the sanitary conditions of the place than the neighborhood. Both are central Phoenix, so there is not a lot of difference in area. Sam is near Chinatown (yes! We have one!).
BTW, I don’t know the incidence of Staph at either, but that can be looked up. That would be the deal maker/breaker for me.
I had to have hip replacements, and I went for a small specialty hospital....
I got really good care at Banner.
I had been seen at a rural hospital,initially, and believe I picked up MERSA there.
My crushed thumb was put together, wired, etc. at an outpatient surgery. It became infected because it was a open, crushing injury and already contaminated.
I had three surgeries at Banner to clean up the mess. They were wonderful! (The medical staff, not the surgeries!)
Both hospitals are near downtown. Good Samaritan, 10th Street and McDowell, is near fast food, a grocery store and other kinds of shopping. The hospital has a patient tower and is staffed sort of eh-eh. I have a good friend who was there for a few weeks a liked it.
St. Joseph’s is a hospital that was started by Catholic nuns and has grown to provide great, personal care. It is near fast food, and there is a grocery store a mile away. Frankly, and though I am not Catholic, I find that St. Joe’s is the hospital I would pick. It provides a number of specialties. It is the hospital of Barrows Neurological Institute. My wife had a procedure for an aneurysm done there. Very successfu, and the care was above excellent. The hospital is very well staffed (much larger staff than Good Sam). The hospital is not considered a Catholic institution by the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, but the people who work there still portray it as a Catholic hospital.
Truthfully, Phoenix and its Metro Area have a bunch of top notch hospitals, even some hospital “districts”, and the professional competition as well as cooperation is pretty tight.
It is also a center for breast cancer research, Barrow’s Neurological is one of the top brain treatment facilities in the western US, Mayo’s has built a new research facility and hospital there for the really hard cases.
However, the nurse shortage which is bad about everywhere is really bad in Phoenix because there are 10 times the jobs than there are nurses. This matters during treatment as it is good to have family and friends come by for more ordinary needs, as nurses are busy doing the important stuff.
However, the nurse shortage which is bad about everywhere is really bad in Phoenix because there are 10 times the jobs than there are nurses. This matters during treatment as it is good to have family and friends come by for more ordinary needs, as nurses are busy doing the important stuff.
______________________
There is no nurse shortage in the Northeast. New grads cannot find jobs. The hospitals are poorly staffed by choice and anyone one with a loved one in the hosptial should have Third world countries.
Both hospitals are actually very close to each other...and I don’t think either is a particularly “friendly” place to walk around. A car is a must. That said, both have good reputations...I would ask the doctor where HE would rather perform the procedure.
Good luck.
I wanted to thank everyone for their posts. Great information! Sounds like both are pretty good hospitals based on the comments; I looked up the gov stats on the two hospitals, and they’re pretty comparable that way too.
Comments about the two neighborhoods were helpful too, as that now isn’t really a decision factor either way. The comment about the nursing shortage was interesting, that and the fact that St. Joes has a bigger staff.
The car comment was a good one too. I’ve been to Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale several times on business and had already realized a car was most likely a must. I’ve traveled before when I thought a car might not be totally necessary and then have felt pretty trapped, especially if the cab service is less than ubiquitous. I’ll be staying a couple of extra days after the procedure “just in case”, so my doc will be on tap. Hopefully, I’ll feel well enough to play tourist a bit, so a car would be just the thing then too.
At any rate, my doc already has me signed up for St. Joe’s, so I don’t see a big reason to change that.
Thanks again for taking the time to help me!
I think that’s a good choice. Good luck!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.