1 /5 Jamie Janosz: Want to wait 9 hours to see a doctor? Go to the AdventHealth ER in Daytona Beach. In all my ER visits, this one was the most exhausting and frustrating. We arrived at 4:30 on a Wednesday afternoon with our 98-year-old mother in a wheelchair. The entire waiting room was filled and we were directed to an overflow area. To our dismay, we found out that a woman using an oxygen tank near us had been waiting since 12:30 pm. And there were other patients in the main waiting room who had been there before them!! That was a foreboding sign. The staff took people into triage quickly to evaluate them, and Advent was doing some tests while people were waiting, but hardly anyone was being called into the ER examination room, and the crowd continued to grow. They give you an app to tell time that was worthless. People were threatening to leave. The wait continued: 4 hours. 6 hours. 8 hours. More. The oxygen tank woman started gasping and needed a completely new tank because it ran out. Our 98-year-old was struggling to not fall out of a huge wheelchair not meant for her frail body. They offered warm blankets, but people did not have food, water, treatment, or beds. It wasnt until almost 10 pm that the oxygen tank woman was taken back to be seen. 10 HOURS of waiting. Utterly Ridiculous. The front desk staff was kind but completely unhelpful. They explained that they are understaffed and overcrowded. When we finally did go back to the exam room at almost 11 (6-hour wait), there were beds in the halls. The ER staff doctor and nurses were kind and apologetic, but seemed tired and overwhelmed. Our loved one would not be moved to the hospital until morning. Something is wrong at ADVENT. Is anyone paying attention? We will definitely be forced to look elsewhere next time.
