Harris Regional Hospital

"Absolutely terrible hospital. My son got surgery there today. I walked in thinking it was a great Hospital. Everyone there had a devil may care attitude no one was answering the phones even playing pranks on each other while people are having serious surgeries. My son's prescriptions were sent in. the pharmacy was closed due to an unexpected condition. called to get the prescription sent to another pharmacy. Got a call back and assured that they were sent to that Pharmacy my wife has been at that Pharmacy for over 2 hours. no prescriptions. I call to tell them this the front desk guy is flustered and apologizes because no one is answering the phone for an hour and the lady that finally answers the phone and the or post-op Ward calls me a liar and says she's been sitting by the phone for 2 hours and it hasn't rang. Meanwhile they told me to call the after hours doctor on call because they don't know or can't figure out how to send in a prescription to the right Pharmacy and make sure it's sent. Very rude very aggressive very arrogant. Would not ever recommend getting anything done here. Thank God they didn't kill my kid"

"MIL fell on a previous surgery site. She was in excruciating pain. So much we had to put her in the back of the truck. We went to Harris Emergency Room and asked for a wheelchair/help. The staff told us to go to another entrance…. We did….. no wheelchair… finally the last entrance a wheelchair but, no help. After much effort finally we made it inside only to be told to wait to register another 10 minutes- Mind that MIL was in so much pain she was screaming with every move. Almost 30 minutes in an ER waiting room (ER WAITING ROOM!!) with no other contact or staff even acting like they care (besides how are we getting paid). We are waiting- who knows maybe they are waiting on Jesus to return to heal all the sick and hurting. Go elsewhere please go elsewhere - IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOURSELF OR YOUR LOVED ONE GO ELSEWHERE"

"Visit to Harris Hospital Emergency Room (Sylva), about 6pm, January 19, 2024 On January 18, 2024, Dr Eusebio (Cardiology Department, VA Asheville hospital) implanted a Medtronic Dual-Chamber pacemaker in my chest at the VA Asheville hospital. I was held overnight and discharged from VA Asheville on Friday Jan 19th at 2pm. I complained of chest pain but was told it probably was due to the trauma of the surgery. When I arrived home in Sylva at 430pm on Friday 1/19, I walked up 8 steps to my home, and then suffered an apparent Pulmonary Embolism (PE). I collapsed with severe chest pain and extreme shortness of breath. After 45 minutes I was able to recover enough to measure my blood pressure as 187/103, 124 bpm rate, and 84 Blood O-2 level, and contacted Dr Eusebio. He confirmed the PE diagnosis and advised me to go to the nearest Emergency Room. I was taken to the ER at Harris Hospital in Sylva about 6pm on Friday 1/19. After I was registered with a declared diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism and provided Dr Eusebio’s number, an ER nurse measured my blood pressure as 197/116. Harris ER then provided no further treatment for 2 hours. I was led to a small room and told to sit in a chair. The curtain was drawn across the door. I sat there alone for 45 minutes. I could hear several nurses talking and laughing the entire time, so I entered the ER common area and asked if I was scheduled for any treatment. One nurse said only “SIR! First Come, First Served” and I was told to return to the room. I sat there another hour – no one checked on me or entered the room. After that hour, I again entered the common area and asked why I was not being treated and asked to see a doctor. A doctor then came and told me that the reason I had received no treatment whatever was that there was a problem in the lab, and they had not (or could not) run my blood samples. I asked - what blood samples? He said they required a Creatinine test to allow the use of a contrast agent in a CT Scan. I told him that I had recently experienced a full CT Scan at Harris Hospital just a few months prior, and that in addition there were several existing creatinine analyses only a few days or weeks old, which had been ordered by my primary Dr O’Malley and other Harris and Haywood physicians. The doctor said the new analysis was necessary for any further treatment, and that there would be a wait of at least another 1 to 2 hours. At that time (2 hours wait) I was in better condition than when I arrived but still in pain, breathless, and very uncomfortable. After 2+ hours and no medical attention I spoke with Dr Eusebio who advised me to go to a different Emergency Room. I asked to be released and was sent home. I had provided Dr Eusebio’s number but he confirmed that no one contacted him. The doctor on duty at Harris ER told me that if I went to another ER I would experience the same wait and lack of treatment, but that I could check back the next morning to see if the blood test was complete by the next day (Saturday 1/20) and maybe they could treat me then (when I called at 10am 1/20 I was told that the test was still not complete). I was taken to a different Emergency Room. Within 2 hours of arrival at that ER, I received a full cardiac workup, three EKG tests (including a 12-segment advanced test), a CT Scan, and an Echogram. I was put on an IV of Heparin and given several other meds. I was then found to have not only the PE but also other cardiac issues, and I was transferred under emergency conditions directly to the Cardiology Intensive Care Unit at Atrium Hospital in Charlotte. I was finally released from Atrium Charlotte on Friday January 26 after 3 cardiac procedures and IV treatment of the Pulmonary Embolism. In Summary, after 2 hours waiting alone at Harris ER, no one did anything whatever to treat or even ask about my serious issues. I credit my decision to LEAVE the Harris ER and seek treatment elsewhere with saving my life."

"Stayed in waiting room for 5hrs while at least ten people went back ahead of me. While I was in a great deal of pain and was having a very hard time breathing. Would not recommend ever going here if you need anything done. All the front desk knows to say is sorry we’re taking the more serious cases back and I see she went to triage. when their more serious cases were simple stuff that took at max five mins per person. Then in triage all they did was take blood pressure heart rate and oxygen."

"Visited the ER while my mother was having difficulty breathing. Upon alerting the one receptionist working that my mother couldn't breathe well on her own, I was told patients must be checked-in how they entered and she then proceeded to direct patient visitors that arrived after us where to go and checked in non-emergency patients. When it was "my turn," I sat down only to be told I needed to "take a step back" while the receptionist filed paperwork at her desk. I understand there is a process and paperwork that needs to be handled, but the utter lack of empathy or any sense of emergency was unprecedented, not to mention the information she did fill out was all typed in incorrectly . The care once actually seen two hours later was kind and friendly, but I would NOT advise anyone under actual duress to go here."