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Borough Park, NY - Maimonides Hospital Needs A Management Shake Up. Video By Rabbi Levin

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Published on:   Jun 02, 2008 at 09:36 AM
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Borough Park, NY - Maimonides Hospital in Borough Park, Brooklyn has a long, distinguished and unique record of service to its community. Founded in the early part of this past century, it quickly became a neighborhood institution.

And, as America changed, the hospital not only changed with it, but perhaps even led the way.

Today, Maimonides may very well be the United States' most multicultural medical center, unabashedly and regularly trumpeting the fact that interpreters for close to the fabled shivim lashonos are available for patients.

Maimonides is America in microcosm, for better—and for worse. Small wonder that award-winning author and investigative journalist Julie Salamon chose Maimonides of all places to spend a full year probing modern American medicine's state of affairs in her recent book Hospital.

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Because while it is here that top-quality doctors and surgeons saved lives in innovative and dramatic ways in years and decades past, it is also here that callous nurses and inattentive staff give patients experience after nightmarish experience.

for decades stories abound in the Borough Park Chasidic community of neglect and even abuse of their own when brought to Maimonides for treatment. And the best—or worst—example of this is Maimonides' dreadful emergency room, where patients have been known to wait 48 hours for treatment, where gurneys are sometimes lined two or three deep along walls and where patients have nearly died—or tragically have died—because they were simply ignored.

Controversial activist and self proclaimed Rabbi Yehudah Levin, never one to shy away from communal woes and expressing his opinions thereof, recently stated that Maimonides' relatively new, multi-million-dollar cancer treatment center is underused and over-prioritized, opining that the monies used to compete with the more glamorous medical institutions of Manhattan should have better gone to overhaul the hospital's emergency room and waiting facilities.

While Rabbi Levin is perpetuating with the myth of his own importance and the one who has never accomplishment anything, except to be the gloom and doom rabbi, we believe the rabbi is right this time. But what he's saying is only one piece of the puzzle. Here's why:

Across America, for at least the past 25 years, the practice of medicine has been a business, not a profession. Beset by a growing number of problems, including unprofitable socialized medicine, corporation-like "mega-hospitals" in pursuit of profit, and the ever-looming threat of lawsuits, medicine has changed profoundly in a generation. And Maimonides is most symptomatic of that all.

Want to know what's wrong with Maimonides? Just ask anyone in Borough Park. Want to know what's wrong with modern medicine? Just look at Maimonides.

Of course we need to end the problems at Maimonides—the corruption, the bribery, the brown-nosing of the hospital by community organizations and activists, and the medical-care horror stories.

But like the medicine Maimonides seeks to provide, those are mere symptoms—treat the cause, and the symptom goes away.

America needs to rebuild its medical establishment from the ground up. And what better place to start than Maimonides?

See below a 10 minute video speech given by Rabbi Levin in front of Maimonides hospital.

For those who read Yiddish, an interesting extensive researched article appeared in this past weeks Yiddish magazine 'Tizeitshrift' about Maimonides hospital. see below we uploaded in images for easy read


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Read Comments (72)  —  Post Yours »

1

 Jun 02, 2008 at 09:46 AM lavdafka Says:

I understand his point, but the way he goes about it, in my opinion, may need some tweaking and a little more finesse.

2

 Jun 02, 2008 at 09:47 AM deepthinker Says:

Maimonides has evolved from a Hospital primarily serrving the Jewish community in Borough Park into a virtual Tower of Babel,serving--or rather not serving--everyone and no one.

Theere is no firm management on the tiller. It's a "HefKer Veldt"--doctors and nurses can do whatever they please with little or no accountability.

If you're lucky enough to get a good doctor, the nurse could mess you up--a very dangerous situation for anyone who must rely on the Hospital.

3

 Jun 02, 2008 at 10:02 AM Anonymous Says:

go out an get the new book- it speaks for itself

4

 Jun 02, 2008 at 10:10 AM lavdafka Says:

This 2008 world we live in .. Today with all the internet technology it has helped in becoming a very transparent world. Unfortunately for Maimonides, they can only TOSS UNDERNEATH THE CARPET all the corruption and mismanagement SO MUCH!! NOW IS THE DAY FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY!!

5

 Jun 02, 2008 at 10:25 AM Anonymous Says:

What Book is #3 are you talking about?

6

 Jun 02, 2008 at 10:42 AM DumDum Says:

By saying "America needs to rebuild its medical establishment from the ground up", you make it sound as if this is a national problem. While national medicine may need fixing, the Maimonides problem is in a class for itself. Anyone who has experienced medical care in any other NY hospital, can attest to this. Of course medical errors happen everywhere, but nowhere are you treated with such contempt as in Maimonides.

7

 Jun 02, 2008 at 10:44 AM deepthinker Says:

The book on Maimonides is called "Hospital" by New York Times reporter Julie Salamon, who spent a year in Maimonides Hospital to do research on the book.

8

 Jun 02, 2008 at 10:45 AM zelig Says:

B"H
Four years ago my newborn einikel sheyichye was believed tio need care in the NICU of Miamonedes. We had the most horrible experience, B"H it is history, but I really wanted to sue them. The Dr. actually threatened us if we choose not to subject the baby to a certain medical procedure.
The Shabbos we spent there was just as difficult halacha wise. There is no Shabbos enterance to the NICU, no Shabbos paper towels after you wash your hands, no toilet paper for Shabbos, even the sinks inside the NICU opearte electronically. When the baby threw up, the nurse told the new mother to wash him under the sink. She explained that she can't use it because of Shabbos, to no avail. The new kimpeturin had no choice but to walk out, leavivng the baby. That was the only way she could be sure they would wash and change him. For sure she never went back to such a place...

9

 Jun 02, 2008 at 11:46 AM Anonymous Says:

Zelig- Pekuach Nefesh supercedes all the examples you provided. If the infant was is the NICU, everything can be done for the child.

10

 Jun 02, 2008 at 11:49 AM zelig Says:

There was no reason for a new mother to do that-it is befeirush the nurse's job! She was a rabid antisemite through the entire Shabbos, that was just the cherry on the cake..

11

 Jun 02, 2008 at 11:59 AM Anonymous Says:

IMPORTANT !! Maimonides ta a TAX-EXEMPT non-profit institution. In order to justify the exemption, Maimonides is REQUIRED by law to provide millions in charity care.

All patients have to be informed that it is available and be evaluated to see if they qualify. If you are currently being billed by Maimonides , or have received a notice from a collection agency, and were not made aware that you may qualify for charity care, you must either notify Maimonides or file a complaint with the NYS Dept of Health.

12

 Jun 02, 2008 at 12:03 PM Shlomo Radomsker Says:

MMC is caught in a squeeze that is common all across the USA. Caught bewtween large teaching medical centers like NYU, Columbia, etc. and abanding the old community role. I can't speak for the management issues at MMC but the key to getting improvements at MMC lies with getting the admitting docs (the frum ones) to place pressure on MMC to improve the quality of care in all areas. They have a lot of clout with the administration by threatening not to admit their patients to MMC and to go elsewhere.

Take a page out of the late Moshie Sherrer Z'L book- calm behind the scenes pressure works best.

13

 Jun 02, 2008 at 12:20 PM Houlihan Says:

Whoever said that Maimonides had excellent doctors? Many of us would never go there.

14

 Jun 02, 2008 at 12:53 PM deepthinker Says:

dear anonymous:

The only charity cases at Maimonides are the CEO, who makes a very charitable salary of over $800,000 per year (plus benefits) and the remaining 17 top execs who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year each.

There is no charity left for the poor, because all the profit has been consumed by the rich.

15

 Jun 02, 2008 at 12:58 PM ryan Says:

There is no doubt that Maimonides has saved lives and helped deliver many Yiddishe kinderlach b'h.
Right now , do we have better like Coney Island Hospital (oy vey!)???
I believe after spending much time there, that Dr. Levins claims regarding nursing care is justified. A good part of the nurses are anti-semitic as well as general staff. One can see it in their eyes. I believe that management needs
to do a much better job of personnel education and general care of patients. They are there to serve their patients not the usual "doing u all a favor"
attitude prevalent among most personnel. The permeated attitude " it's another Jew!" comes thru in the care given and the attitude of most nursing staff at Maimonedes. Have u ever seen the attitude of out of town staff at their hospitals??? While
there are always complaints, the nursing and general care at Maimonides have the sinas chinom on their faces!! Ask any rational person who spent time there? We are at their MERCY AND HASHEMS GOODWILL! VEE AHEEN ZOL ICH GEIN?

16

 Jun 02, 2008 at 01:10 PM deepthinker Says:

dear Ryan:

You touched a raw nerve with me. There is a culture clash at Maimonides. The Left/Liberal Jews who run the Hospital view the Hasidim and the Orthodox with contempt. They consider them throwbacks to the Middle Ages.

How can you expect compassionate care and a commitment to excellence when the administration can barely control their hatred of everything you stand for.

The contemptuous attitude of the nurses is simply a reflection of the attitude at the very top of the chain of command.

Compare with Lutheran and Methodist Hospitals in our neighborhood--which are not even Jewish--and you will notice the difference.

They will show you more respect and care than your "Jewish" hospital.

17

 Jun 02, 2008 at 01:22 PM Anonymous Says:

hunestly is lutheran or methodist really better

18

 Jun 02, 2008 at 01:24 PM Anonymous Says:

THIS MAN IS 100% RIGHT MY WIFE GAVE BIRTH THERE A MONTH AGO AND SHE WAS PLACED IN THE HALL WAY AND THAT IS WHERE SHE GAVE BIRTH AND SHE HAD NO PILLOW BECAUSE THEY SAID THEY WERE OUT OF PILLOWS NOW SO DO ME A FAVOR WHO NEEDS A WHOLE BUILDING FOR CANCER PAICIENTS RACHMANA LITZLAN WHEN YOU COULD USE THIS WHOLE BUILDING FOR AN E R ROOM AND FOR BIRTHING ROOMS I DONT KNOW IF ANYONE KNOWS BUT ABOUT A MONTH AGO THEY BROKE THE RECORD OF GIVING BIRTH TO 61 BABEIS IN ONE DAY !!!

19

 Jun 02, 2008 at 01:40 PM shmuel Says:

MMC should pump million of $$$ into their nursing staff thats about that should solve all their problems

Think about it 75% the people in the ER can be fixed in 15 minutes instead they wait an hour hoping someone is going to come give them a wrist tag

For anyone who has bin to the MMC ER think about!

20

 Jun 02, 2008 at 01:51 PM Ah Chosid Says:

(2'nd try)

I was born there, I grew up and lived many years just around the corner of Maimonides, our family has our own book of horror stories of Maimonides.

No each visit to the hospital was near-tragic, e.g. the crazy long waits in the Emergency room was many times only nerve wracking, not life threatening.

But we knew that if and when ch"v anything is serious DO NOT GO TO Maimonides, we would at times of emergency rather take a taxi (even on shabbos) to Manhattan, rather then get admitted to Maimonides, and oh yeah this practice saved many lives in our family from the butchers of Maimonides

When my mother was hospitalized on emergency and nearly died there,waiting for teetment in the emergency room, screaming in abnormal pain, we dragged her out of there only half alive and took her to Colombia Presbyterian where they b"h saved her.

Shame on Maimonides, and thanks to all who speak out against this Pikuach nefesh problem that's been going on for decades, and nothing has been done about it.

21

 Jun 02, 2008 at 01:57 PM Anonymous Says:

Yehudah levin should not be the spokesman in the forefront of these issues- Kshoit Atzmechoh!

22

 Jun 02, 2008 at 02:07 PM Anonymous Says:

I had a stent put in two years ago. This guy was flirting with this blonde nurse and quite vulgur while they were preping me. They even lied to me as to which Dr would be placing the stent and made me sign a release without any discussion.

After the stent was placed this blonde nurse complained to the Dr that she did not my sister to come and see me in recovery room. This was for no reason and pure rishus. The next day, I was released by one Dr. I got dressed and and was about to leave when another Dr said that i needed to stay and called "patient care". This guy comes to force me to stay. I was told that i would stay only an extra day but ended up staying an extra three days for no reason. I have proof of two sets of discharge papers. They just wanted to bill the Insurance company the maximun allowed for this procedure.

I would file a complaint but am afraid that it would come back to haunt me if I needed the hospital again. They have everything on computer.

23

 Jun 02, 2008 at 02:58 PM OBER CHUCHIM Says:

we should make a class action suit

24

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:17 PM Anonymous Says:

Go to Manhattan, it's cleaner, more professional and better care... Brooklyn Hospital are equivelant to third-wrold hospitals... EVEN HARRIS (CRMC) IS BETTER THAN MMC.

25

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:17 PM deepthinker Says:

Anonymous:
"KaBel Ess HoEmes MiMi SheOmRo!"

26

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:18 PM A Yiddene Says:

I had a simple D&C done and the care i received there was a total nightmare.

27

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:26 PM Anonymous Says:

To Yiddene:

What's a D&C?

28

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:31 PM Anonymous Says:

Levin is a clown!

29

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:39 PM anonymous@vosizneias.com Says:

i have also terrible story from 6 month ago from ER. it should live by it name - Maimonides. its is a sloater house. they don't care about anyone - not administration, not drs not nurses. the hospital is very corrapted. it is not even a business it worse than communist countries.

30

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:54 PM Anonymous Says:

D & C is "female surgery"

31

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:55 PM Anonymous Says:

i think this entire conversation is nothing more than a sack full of hot air
FACT maimo is one of the best rated hospitals in cardiac
FACT maimo is on of the best rated in critical care
FACT maimo has the buisest maternity department in new york
FACT maimo has on of the best stroke programs in new york

so everyone please stop kvetshing and just take a moment to look around you and say thank you maimonides

32

 Jun 02, 2008 at 03:57 PM Anonymous Says:

The only way these complaints can have any effect on improving patient care is by filing formal complaints with the NYS Department of Health.

33

 Jun 02, 2008 at 04:05 PM Anonymous Says:

sorry to bust you bubble but most of these complaints are unfounded

34

 Jun 02, 2008 at 04:18 PM a yeshiva melamid Says:

Mr FACT - Maimo does NOT have one of the best stroke centers
FACT just because you have a busy maternity ward doesn't make you a good department
FACT Cardiac is very good from the surgon's perspective - follow up treatment and care is terrible - people die due to neglect post surgery
etc etc

35

 Jun 02, 2008 at 04:28 PM Anonymous Says:

MMC like a big yeshivah. You are going to have the best and the worst.The hospital has so many people that come in all the time and is by far one of the most active ERs in the city, this is the reason why if you take a look at the percent of people vs. the complaints that there is you still will see that IZ is a good hospital. True they have issues with the nurse staff, but hey what do you expect when there's a shortage out there.
I have seen dedication on the doctors end, they put up with a lot. Everybody that walks in there thinks that they own the place and this upsets the staff as well. How so u expect them to work if you will always make a remark like "hey I know Doug or the Rabbi". Its not the way things should be done. In all hospitals people wait for care. I have wintnessed many other Brooklyn hospitals who don't give the slightest respect to our community. So let's all be thankfull that we can have such a hospital in our area.
And last but not least we can work together to fix the issues they have.

36

 Jun 02, 2008 at 04:30 PM deepthinker Says:

dear mr. FACT:

Here is a FACT for you: Mr father-in-law was taken to Maimonides with a heart problem. He was put into the heart unit. At night, he was unable to get the sleep he so desparately needed, because the TV's were blasting away from the other patients in the room. The nurses refused to help.

This is a way to run a hospital?--Are you kidding?

37

 Jun 02, 2008 at 04:34 PM Anonymous Says:

anybody can say whatever they want,but lets see who could back up there claim
Maimo has won award after award for the cardiac,stroke and critical cared departments from many differnt groups and org. i highly dout that they are all blind

38

 Jun 02, 2008 at 04:53 PM Anonymous Says:

Maimonides doctors almost killed my mother by taking her off a medication-for the convenience of the nurses-without consulting her doctor why she is on it.

A dept head rebuked me, for lack of a better word, for not allowing my father to die -as he is already brain dead-(wasn't true)"HE IS COSTING THE HOSPITAL MONEY" (HIS WORDS)- That wasn't true either, by the way

39

 Jun 02, 2008 at 04:57 PM deepthinker Says:

dear all you anonymouses:

I guess we're all imagining things. Nobody got kiled at Maimonides; nobody got maimed, this woman we're all sying Tehillim for today didn't go into a come because Maimonides gave her a fault epidural...etc.--Everything is just fine and dandy. We should all shut up and be happy.

Let me repeat that famous quote, which applies here:

There are three kinds of lies:
1. Plain Lies
2. Damned Lies
3. Statistics

40

 Jun 02, 2008 at 05:19 PM Anonymous Says:

Another issue is the Kashrus of their kitchen.
They wash dairy amd meat dishes in the same dishwasher.
I'd like to see Rabbonim involved in the kashrus, paying surprise visits to the kitchen checking ingredients, methods of checking vegetables and inspecting what happens there.

41

 Jun 02, 2008 at 06:02 PM Anonymous Says:

Everyone is so eager to dump on Maimo but this stuff happens everywhere. My gandmother in her 90s was admitted to NYU for dehydration and they forgot to start an IV on her. When my mother asked why she didn't receive an IV, the nurse insisted that the doctor didn't order one, which turned out to be false. and oh yeah, they were also out of pillows. A subsequent experience at MMCs cardiac center was unevenful and she received the care she needed.

42

 Jun 02, 2008 at 06:11 PM Ah Chosid Says:

I guess it this article and the comments has been brought to the hospital administrations attention and they are working hard to post those comments that all of our complains are lies

you know what, that just proved our point that u dont care what the patients and their families are saying

you are so arrogant, as when people write their personal expirances of nightmares at meimonidies, you dont even need to excuse your self, you just plain deny it with a straight face.

its all lies? we are all dreaming?

huh?

there is peoples health and their families well being in concern here, you don't even budge... its all lies.

you are unbelievable!

lets hope that the community will start talking out and uncover the true face of this horror house called Maimonides.

43

 Jun 02, 2008 at 06:16 PM Justshmooze.com Says:

I dont know whether or not mmc has problems, but i know that this levin guy is a dope, and SHOULD NOT be speaking on behalf of the jewish community.

44

 Jun 02, 2008 at 06:16 PM Anonymous Says:

there is a lot of truth to it

45

 Jun 02, 2008 at 06:50 PM Anonymous Says:

FACT IS: THEY CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST CARDIC CENTER! there is no real org who rates hospitals only privat org. like "health grade" who for a few bucks would give it to the worst hospital. so if "health grade" rates a hospital it means nothing!

46

 Jun 02, 2008 at 07:08 PM Anonymous Says:

the person on the vidio his name is "yhuda levine" and the writer in of the artical in "TZEITSHRIFT" is "RAV USHER LEVINE". not to be mistaken.

47

 Jun 02, 2008 at 07:11 PM Anonymous Says:

as a frum Nurse, I can tell you that the attitude the frum and frim yidden have is shameful. They feel that they need open visiting at all hours both night and day. While they visit they feel that they know better than all the nurses in the hospital. There is an attitude that the nursing staff owes them something above and beyond. Until the visitors are as qualified as the nurses are, please do not display arrogance. If all the people would try this in a city hospital, they would be thrown out. Just yesterday i explained to an irate family member who wanted me to sedate his father because he was moving his arm to scratch his nose. If he would have asked politely I may have reacted differently, but he was belligerent to the point that he knew better than me and I had neglected his father. Does this man think that the nurse taking over for me will care for this patient while needing to put up with this guys nonsense?
Then you have the other type of people who Hatzolah brought in with CHF and water in the lungs, who is in ESRD and the family expects that if MMC doesnt get this person home as good as when they were 20 years old, that we "Butchered" the patient.
It is very easy to speak from the outside, but until you understand what you are critiquing, "Learn To say Thank You"

That thank you may be, the best thing you can do for your family member.

48

 Jun 02, 2008 at 07:11 PM Anonymous Says:

regarding the FACT. about the stroke center can you please tell us what is their stroke program response do they have a stroke Dr. there or available to come in at minutes notice round the clock? where is the stroke ICU located in MMC? and please tell us what award they won in stroke?
the answer is that there is no real stroke program at MMC

49

 Jun 02, 2008 at 07:16 PM Anonymous Says:

There is a wonderful organization who is working very hard to change the problems that are in our local hospitals.This organization is the Va'ad L'tzorchai Refuah. If you would hear the calls that come in on a regular basis no one would go to MMC. Ratings are NOT independently gotten and therefore are totally worthless!!
The ER is a horror, the nursing staff is totally uncaring- you wonder why someone who doesn't care about people would become a nurse?!
We really need to improve MMC because it is our local hospital and whatever it takes to bring the problems to the forefront should be done. Hopefully by recognizing problems along with community involvement we can bring about some real improvement!!

50

 Jun 02, 2008 at 07:21 PM Anonymous Says:

Hey -I agree woth a lot of the postings Maimonidies needs to shape up- however easier said then done. At least if you have connections in Maimonidies you will get descent treatment.
NYU for everones info is run by the nuses period. All the machers there can't do for you anything besides advise you what to do and where to go
For the money we are charged to visit a hospital this is rediculous
For hospitals that complain about money just take patients with insurance rhere are plenty paying people out there

51

 Jun 02, 2008 at 07:42 PM Anonymous Says:

MMC is a poor hospital. Whenever I have an option I go to the city. Recently my peditrcian sent us to MMC for my 2 year old who was dehyrated. The staff of MMC could not get a line into him. Boro Parkers wake up and get quality for you and your family - stop going to this poor excuse of a hospital.

52

 Jun 02, 2008 at 07:57 PM Anonymous Says:

MY FATHER IN LAW HAD EXCELLENT TREATMENT AT MMC.THE HOSPITAL SAVED HIS LIFE AND I AM GRATEFUL TO THE EXCELLENT PHYSICIANS AT MMC.

53

 Jun 02, 2008 at 08:11 PM hotice8586 Says:

You got to give them a break.

My 2-year-old ingested poison on the first day of Pesach this year. The emergency room was empty!!! I was seen right away, and after keeping him a bit for the neccessary observation, they let us go.

54

 Jun 02, 2008 at 08:21 PM psych doc Says:

I can only vouch for the psych dept. Tops in Brooklyn!

55

 Jun 02, 2008 at 08:54 PM Anonymous Says:

A recent story that I experienced with my father. He was admitted due to his extremly low blood count. His dr. wanted to have him checked out for internal bleeding. As he was so weak he could hardly get out of bed, he finally received a room where he was told a dr. would see him the "next" day. The next morning before he was seen by a "Dr." a nurse came in to give him a "shot." Boruch Hashem my father had the sense to say my Dr. was not here yet and I REFUSE to have the shot taken. The nurse explained to him the shot was routine as he was laying in bed and not moving around and HE STILL REFUSED! When I arrived I went to ask what shot it was and was told that it was a"blood thinner" due to his not walking, the nurse was afraid of "blood clots.!!As it turned out he had blood loss and had he have taken the shot he could have died! When we told the Dr. what happened in his own words..."Get him out of here as fast as possible!"
This was just one story of the many I had the past year...........

56

 Jun 02, 2008 at 09:07 PM Tziporah Says:

A good part of the nurses are anti-semitic as well as general staff>>>>>>>>>>>>

"This stuff happenes everywhere">>>>>>>>>

Wouldn't you be anti semitic if you had a bunch of our own running around like they own the place?


We cause most of the hatred in Maimonides.

When I was giving birth two months ago I had this lady from bikur cholim coming in the room asking - SO WHAT ARE YOU HAVING......

I said thank you very much but please leave and mentioned I need some privacy. 10 minutes later the idiot came in the room again asking if we had the baby yet. This went on every 10 minutes and my husband told the lady to get lost and stop being a yenta.

This would NEVER happen in any other hospital.

What these bikur cholim woman do is a disgrace and go-d forbid you say anything negative they pounce on you and say we are doing chesed and how can anyhone complain etc.


Anyone who is NOT assigned to a patient case is going against HIPPA rules and is a FEDERAL CRIME.

Nobody has any right to walk in the hallways and do what they want.


What also disgusts me is the high rate of infection at Maimonides Hospital. I am not a doctor but I can assure anyone that the reason why Maimonides has a high rate of infections with their "patient care" is all the people walking into the hospital who DO NOT BELONG THERE.


When someone is having a baby why do people bring their 10 children, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, friends to visit?


Visitors do not wash their hands before visiting patients.

Let the mothers get the losuy two day rest they need.

Why is it that the nurses have to wake up the patients right after they go to sleep and ask the dumbest question to the patients: ARE YOU SLEEPING?

I can list 100 problems with Maimonides but will leave it to the others to vent!

I would never go back to maimonides even if I was dying.


And we all know that Hatzolah is not a Bus service but it would be nice if they would NOT send any patients to Maimonides. Hatolah should stop with the kick backs and focus on doing the right hting which is GET THE PATIENT THE RIGHT CARE THEY NEED and that can't be found in Maimonides.

57

 Jun 02, 2008 at 11:27 PM Anonymous Says:

Regarding the stroke center:
- one of the first 100 hospitals in the country to be certified as a stroke center by the Joint Commission; the most difficult certification to obtain
- the first hospital in Brooklyn to use the new devices to pull clots from the brain of stroke patients
- the first hospital in New York to use advanced telemedicine to allow remote physicians to immediately examine patients and treat them for stroke.

The stroke unit at Maimonides is on Gellman 6 west

These are facts, not opinions.

58

 Jun 02, 2008 at 11:45 PM Anonymous Says:

I have had good and bad experiences at Maimonides. I've had worse experiences elsewhere.
I've learned one thing. It's all from Hashem.
Having a family member accompany the patient is a must at any hospital.
Our community can use improvement in the mentchlichkeit department. It will definitely help our cause.
May Hashem send a Refuah Sheleimah to all of Klal Yisroel and send us Moshiach NOW.

59

 Jun 02, 2008 at 11:47 PM Anonymous Says:

Hatzala is required by law to go to the closest Hospital in emergency.Period. Some times for trauma or stroke they go to Luthern.

I know some stories where Luthern messed up too, by pushing off an operation on internal bleeding causing a double stroke more than four years ago. The result? The patient is still sleeping l"o.

In the summer I was taken to CRMC. I was dreading it the whole way in the ambulance. Lo & behold I got my treatment alot quicker than any city Hospital!

We should send all immigrants (legal/ilegal) to the clinics for their narishkeiten, instead of tying up the ER staff.

Also remember breing some shoched. Plain & simple it really works great. Nothing expensive. It can be food, gadgets, gift cards, or any other good idea, not cash, that dosn't look to good.

60

 Jun 03, 2008 at 12:15 AM Anonymous Says:

I’m not going to add more frustration to the list. Just one basic issue:

If you’d walk into a corporate office and ask for help, you’d be addressed politely, asked how you can be help

Somehow much of the nursing staff at MMC doesn’t go along the basic lines of courtesy and mentshlichkeit.

When you ask a nurse (some, definitely not all) for something basic (yes, including please and thank you) – I generally found I was answered so nastily – I found myself thinking, “Did I do something to her?” There is a general feeling of “I don’t give 3 hoots about you.” So of course we run into life-threatening problems, where the same attitude of “I don’t care” is there, even when a patient calls 5 times for help or monitors are beeping danger signals.

This attitude of “I don’t care” and “We’re doing good, we don’t need to change – you keep coming back anyway” (yes, a nurse actually answered that!), is a problem from top to bottom. From cleaning crew, to nursing, to highers-up – the attitude is the same.

If the community would all unite as one – complain where there’s fault and thank when you come across a devoted, caring employee or nurse. We have to be persistent and insistent that MMC cannot bury its head in the sand, yes there are things that urgently require change. And if they do choose to bury their heads and ignore the situation, we have to place pressure on the Board, and insist on change – even if it means an overhaul in top brass.

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 Jun 03, 2008 at 12:35 AM Anonymous Says:

Nursing and ER need a lot of help. Volanteers, cardiac and babies are good. Thank you yehuda levin. if you get them to fix the nursing and ER and you are well on your way.Maybe you will be the shliach of hashem. do not give up.change is hard. The hospital knows what has to be done they are scared to do it.If you force the hospital to do the right thing you will be blessed. And to pamela et al use levin as an excuse to make the changes you know you should

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 Jun 03, 2008 at 02:14 AM Anonymous Says:

I can't belive all this MMC bashing. From my own personal experiance I can attest that MMC is not any worse then any other hospital. MMC is not a 5 star hotel it is a hospital. The nurses are not our goytas. My niece is l"a a vegetable because of a mistake in Mt. Sinai Hosp. and My wife's grandmother died in another Manhattan hospital, when someone forgot to reatach an oxy. tank. I broke my hand 2 years ago 10:00pm. My friend took me Lutheren, I waited from 10:30 -1am to get an x-ray read ( and only because the patient rep. helped me). At 4:30am I just left without a Dr. ever seeing me. MMC's problem is US we are a very close knit community - When one yid has a problem It becomes everyone's problem. One friend talks to one friend who talks to another friend and each one feels as he himself experienced the problem. And the fact that 30 yrs. ago a certain Rebbi told his chasidim not to go to MMC doesn't help MMC either. There is nothing MMC can do to change this fact. Of course MMC isn't perfect, it is unacceptable to have to wait hours in the ER and then again for a bed, however at all other hospitals if someone has a problem who really cares. The word of mouth doesn't spread as fast in the non jewish comm. like in ours. I had 2 surgeries in MMC. My children had surgiries here. After my first surgery I spent 1 week in the hospital. 5 of my children k"h were born here. My wife needed emergency surgery and spent a week in the ICU. In every single case I was overall happy with the service. Again I will say MMC can improve and I won't doubt anyone's bad experience, but to say it worse then any other hospital I beg to differ. H-shem should help that all the cholim should have a refua shelaima , and we should never need the services of any hospital.

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 Jun 03, 2008 at 06:21 AM Anonymous Says:

The stroke unit is the biggest secret at Maimonides. Many people from our comunity have exellent results there. I heard that doctors from Mt. Sinai come there to learn.

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 Jun 03, 2008 at 08:34 AM who is levin Says:

Levin is like a cult member - not orthodox & not jewish in his views. Get him off the air and out of here!

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 Jun 03, 2008 at 09:49 AM Anonymous Says:

I am a nurse in Maimonides and I have also been a nurse in over 15 hospitals located all over the US (as part of a nurse exchange program). Yes, Maimonides is not great and it has its problems BUT compared to the other hospitals in the US, Maimonides is up there as one of the best. Maimonides doe snot have to change, EVERY hospital in the US has to change. Know all the facts before you critisize!

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 Jun 03, 2008 at 10:11 AM Anonymous Says:

To: Nurse exchange program
Two wrongs don't make a right (even if what you are saying is true). The idea of all this criticism is all about changing for better. Do criticize, and give credit where credit is due to bring about a better hospital.

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 Jun 03, 2008 at 10:26 AM deepthinker Says:

Many commentors question the criticism of Maimonides, claiming that they had good experiences there.

That does not in any way contradict those who had horror stories there, losing their loved ones to neglect and malpractice.

Certainly, in a large hospital like Maimonides, you will have good doctors and nurses and caring people. But, the main problem with Maimonides is that it's HefKer--there is weak or non-existent management control over the doctors and nurses. They can do whatever they please. That is not the case with other hospitals, such as NYU.

Since any one of the many doctors and nurses who treat a patient is in a position to kill or maim him for life by giving a wrong drug or just leting him die without proper care, poor management is life-threatening.

The fact that the present management at Maimonides is hell-bent on serving a "diverse" population of 67 languages, rather than the Borough Park community means that you have a Tower of Babel ther that guarantees a high level of chaos and "Adverse Events"--maiming and killing patients.

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 Jun 03, 2008 at 11:36 AM deepthinker Says:

What's with all these excuses that maimonides is "no worse than other hospitals."

Reminds me of my teacher. We were all failing in class. We neglected to study.

The teacher was afraid to give us all a failing grade, because it would make her look bad, like he wasn't doing his job.

So, he came up with this brilliant idea--he would mark our tests "on a curve." The guy who got half of the questions right on the test would get a grade of 100, and all the rest the class would be marked with respect to that first guy.

In business, this is called "cooking the books." Might this be reason that Maimonides gets the "high grades?"

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 Jun 04, 2008 at 01:04 PM Anonymous Says:

It makes no difference if other hospitals are bad too. This is our hospital in our neighborhood treating our people so it should be better. If we would all complain to the Department of Health we would accomplish more. I did and Maimonides was found in violation of many things.

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 Jun 04, 2008 at 07:44 PM Anonymous Says:

If you want our people to be treeted well and even better, you should put your money where yur mouth is: how many of our peaple financialy support a hospital? We just want to take take take without giving anything.

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 Jun 15, 2008 at 11:54 AM Anonymous Says:

As an employee at Maimonides and a frumer yid, I can say SHAME on "Rabbi" Levin. The chilul hashem that he has made can not be taken back. Maimonides is not without fault the ER is overcrowded at times. There have been negative outcomes, but I want to see the proof that it has to do with the level of care given. FYI Mount sinai hospital in mahattan was also bulit with the "money, blood, sweat and tears" of Jews and patients die there too, but I guess since it has a 212 area code it is ok. Shame on you levin!!

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 Sep 30, 2008 at 02:37 PM Anonymous Says:

I am not of the same faith but I do have my experiences with MMC. However, when any hospital sees a high scale of pts, things can do wrong, it's the law of averages. I am not saying MMC does not have room for much improvement but many hospitals do.I have worked at many hospitals over the years and there's your good/bad everywhere unfortunately.
As for the ER, again MMC needs improvement but there can be a great wait in many hospitals especially when people use the ER as a walk in clinic due to lack of insurance.
As far as
"This is our hospital in our neighborhood treating our people so it should be better."
This is one of many issues that those in the "community" should address amongst themselves. MMC is a hospital for all, since when should anyone receive preferential treatment?

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