:::sigh::: Dear Providence,

I received your letter informing me that you found the "care delivered by Dr. Ird appropriate".

Well that's special.

If tossing five different BP meds at me without checking to see how I was feeling in between is 'appropriate', then I'm gonna go with,  the standard of care you offer needs some work, guys.

But while I have your attention, oh team of investigators, ponder this:

When I originally contacted Providence, I didn't address anything that had happened at the clinical level or request any sort of investigation.

The investigation was initiated by the person I'd contacted at the hospital level.

So *I* didn't request any sort of evaluation of my doctor at that time.

No, I contacted Providence because of the utterly appalling experience/treatment that happened in the emergency department of the hospital.

I'm still stunned at how amazingly bad their 'care' is.
I wonder how many people have had their conditions made worse simply by going there? How many people have just died due to negligence?

My concerns ranged from the complete lack of safety protocols in the waiting room (masks dangling from the ears of the security guys while they looked at a phone and shared videos with their heads inches apart, laughing and chatting with a third person, this time a girl person who showed up and wasn't wearing HER mask, either) to the ridiculous attitude from the doctor? providing care for the people who'd gone there for help.

I was concerned about the person who was in need of immediate assistance, unconscious in her wheelchair, bent over at the waist, head lower than her knees. She was ignored and ignored and ignored by various staff until I finally pointed her out to one of the triage nurses.

It was an utterly horrendous experience, made worse by the ugly disregard for the humans who needed assistance in the middle of the night from almost everyone there.

I did not, at any time, ask to have my doctor's handling of my care at the clinic level investigated.

In fact, I said in the beginning that although I was disappointed that she had not listened to me regarding the possible effects of the heartburn medications on my blood pressure and that it took much too long for her to call me back with instructions on stopping the lethal BP meds, the real issue at the clinic level was how my care was handled while Dr. Ird was on vacation.

I was dismissed by the receptionist who answered the phone, and when I stood up for myself, grudgingly transferred to a nurse who, when told my blood pressure was 248/171 told me I was 'taking readings too often'.

I was patronized and condescended to and my LIFE WAS IN DANGER.

She should have immediately had me seek treatment, instead she just casually acted like nothing was wrong except that I was checking my blood pressure more than she wanted me to.

In the case of the receptionist, I'd call it a training issue. Possible burnout, I'm sure her job is overwhelming during the best of times. But her tone was unmistakable.

In the case of the nurse, I'd call it gross incompetence and a serious breach of Providence's contract to provide care. My life was endangered and she wanted to quibble over how often I was checking my blood pressure.

So thanks for the letter about my doctor, but that wasn't the whole issue.
I'd like to know that the person answering the phone is going to work on that patronizing tone in her voice and just, you know, do her job.

Further, I'd like to know why someone who's a trained nurse just brushed off the dangerously high blood pressure as too-frequent-measuring.

Until you've done that, you haven't actually investigated.