Stephanie W.
Yelp
It's not easy to award stars to this hospital. The physical premises should get half-a-star, because it's such an old, decrepit building. The staff, though, should get more than four stars, maybe four-and-a-half.
I'll begin here: On Sunday evening, I accompanied my daughter, who suffered abdominal pain, to the Jo Brant emergency room. In the end, my daughter is okay, but we were there for around 4.5 hours - a wait that I blame squarely on provincial government mismanagement of our healthcare funding system.
Despite the long wait, however, every staff member displayed a professional kindness, to us and to other patients all around us. It is my experience that such consideration in an E.R. setting is (sadly) not so routine.
Having said that, again, Jo Brant's physical facility is really showing its age. The dingy, dated exam rooms are a real mess, with old equipment that's clearly in disrepair. Even just a can of paint and a bucket of soapy water would go a long way here - but hopefully the new redevelopment and expansion project will address those issues.
One nit-picky thing I noted while sitting in the waiting room for more than four hours is that the grammar and punctuation on the signs could use some improvement. Some of these were professionally printed signs. (Maybe I need to submit my resume to the marketing department). Others were mere computer-printed notices. (If only I'd had my red pen ...)
Anyway, for what it's worth, I've visited newer hospitals and larger ones, but what stood out during our visit to this hospital was the benevolent staff. During our long wait, I witnessed many small kindnesses demonstrated by Jo Brant attendants, nurses and doctors toward patients --- when people are in pain or uncomfortable, that can make such a difference. They were clearly overworked and understaffed, but every one that we met was helpful. To me, the generous attitude only made the staff seem more professional and capable.
I hope nobody in our family ends up in another E.R., but if we do, I hope that at least we are tended to by the staff at Joseph Brant Hospital.