Sharon Jackson
“I’ve had family members treated there and observed that they do need an expanded emergency room. They need more nurses and doctors on staff for the emergency room. The room was so crowded, it was ridiculous. If there is a real serious emergency, then they got a problem. What if there was a terrorist attack or some major medical outbreak? Would West Suburban be able to handle things?”

Denise James
“I just think the service could be more expanded. I was there several weeks ago. I got there around 8:30 p.m. and didn’t leave until around 1 or 1:30 a.m. So certainly they could be more accommodating for those of us who are taxpayers. Since Austin is particularly a predominant minority community at this point, they seem to have become much more laid back, not as efficient because it’s a more predominant African American community, so that could be the reason why. I don’t know, but it is something to consider.”

 

Yoluanda Brown
“No, I’ve been there on a number of occasions, as a patient, as a patient in the emergency room, seeing a medical doctor and just taking a class. I don’t feel that they live up to their commitment, and in progressive communities such as Oak Park and Austin, we need to have a hospital that reflects that. I just don’t think that they are professional. As soon as you walk in the emergency room (though I understand they are a business) you give out your social security card before you even see a triage nurse, and I think that needs to be first. And then you wait hours, you hear that all the time, people are always talking about hours and hours of waiting. I remember I took my son [Kyle] there. He was only two years old at the time. We sat there for hours. He had an ear infection, and they ended up wanting to give him some type of major procedure, and it just didn’t make any sense. I didn’t feel like the care of the doctors was professional or thorough. The emergency room could be expanded, but will that include expanding good proper health care for Oak Park/Austin residents?”

 

Jeffery Brown
“I say a strong no. The reason I say that is mainly focus on the attention you get when you arrive there. The people tend to treat you as if you are a criminal, as if you are a second-class citizen. There is no concept of being the customers and assuming that you’re someone there that obviously needs help. You’re looked at as a suspect, even though you’re there for some kind of medical treatment. And that’s very disappointing in a hospital in a multicultural environment. That’s not appropriate. Expanding the hospital won’t make any difference unless the management changes. So whether it’s larger or smaller, that’s not the issue. The issue is what’s the management, and how are they going to train their people to treat you properly. So I’d like to see that addressed as a part of this issue.
But of course it won’t be.”