The Knucklehead of the Day award

Goes to Cassandra one of the staff at JFK hospital in Atlantis Florida. Why am I giving the award to Cassandra? Here is what happened last night.

Back on the 16th I learned I may go home from the hospital as early as yesterday. By yesterday I was all roaring to go, up and walking the floor, no breathing help, no IV. I was bored to tears in most aspects. Yesterday afternoon my primary doc, Dr. Nguyen said I'd be going home today. I was a little disappointed but happy for this news.

At the beginning of my hospital stay I needed help for almost everything, I was ringing the nurses on a regular basis. By late Tuesday I was very rarely asking for any help. Actually from about 3 pm Tuesday till 10:30 last night I didn't ring once asking for help.

I'm not a small person, and hospital beds aren't easy to get comfortable in. Last night I was tired and wanting to go to sleep about 10:30 but couldn't get my bed set up to my liking. I buzzed the nurse's station asking for either my nurse Tonya or Nurs. Asst. Cynthia to stop by for a moment. THe person who answered my buzz said Tonya or Cynthia would be over in a few minutes.

No one came. It was maybe 11:10 or 11:15 and I still couldn't sleep. I buzzed the nurse's station again. The same person answered giving me the same response.

Another ten minutes passed and I blew my top. This time I took the buzzer and pressed it and pressed it and etc etc. While no one still didn't come to the room, I started gathering my belongings. Finally Tonya showed up. By now I wanted out of the hospital. RIGHT THEN. I was pissed and wasn't too shy about saying so. In ten hours or so I would be out of the hospital. If I wasn't getting any care now, why the hell was I still there?

Note- My anger wasn't directed at Cynthia or Tonya. They had never been relayed the message of my asking for assistance.

I didn't leave the hospital. The hospital trying to dissuade me from doing so, mentioning my insurance may not pay for my stay if I checked out. That sounds like a crock of shit to me, but at midnight and in a hospital I had no way of confirming it. I did turn up talking to a nursing supervisor and Tonya. Seems the person who answers patient buzzes is named Cassandra. This employee in addition to not notifying my caregivers I wanted help, was saying I only buzzed twice and then only ten minutes apart. I told Tonya and a nursing supervisor this was a total lie.

This made me furious and I'll tell you why. I've bloggged before about my son Daniel who died in Jan 03. After Daniel's death, St. Mary's hospital submitted a nameless birth cert. to the state of Florida. When I asked why that was done, I was told me and my wife hadn't chosen a name for our child. That was a crock, since the NICU knew Daniel's full name approximately three hours after his birth. A hospital employee hadn't done their job and visit me and my wife and instead lied to cover her sorry ass.

And it happened all over again last night. This really pisses me off because it brought back memories with Daniel. Instead of apologizing and owning up to a mistake, another hospital employee sees it fit to lie to cover her behind. For being a pathetic incompetent liar and loser, Cassandra a JFK Hospital 4th Floor South employee is today's Knucklehead of the Day.