Peter Lougheed Centre

Was just released from Peter Lougheed after spending 4 days there (3 in Emergency and overnight on one of the surgical floors). The ER staff were wonderful… very friendly and helpful. The only drawback was being placed in the hallway of the surgical floor overnight due to overcrowding and having to use another patients room when I had to use the washroom…

I have to give this Centre 4 stars as far as hospitals go. It was easy to find our street entrance with good signage. Parking cheaper than downtown Calgary which is always a plus and it was covered which is handy for winter time. Security visible which is also nice. The hospital itself was clean thankfully, nice flower shop upon entry and everyone we ran into was friendly. There was even a skinny Santa walking around giving out candy canes. I had no problem seeing where I needed to go even though I had never set foot inside the hospital before. Nurses usually get a bad rap for being B^&*(Y but everyone I met this date was kind, patient and courteous. Maybe going on a Friday helped! Where you are admitted inside the unit, there is a locker with a key for you to lock up your valuables. Nice touch so that if you are alone you are not screwed over wondering if your stuff is OK, nor are you loading down your male loved one with your purse! Staff very accommodating, telling you where the washroom is without one asking and nurses being gentle enough if they know you are petrified of needles (like me). The wait time was OK, yes they were behind but I would have been shocked had they been on time. The DR I had was very nice and never appeared rushed, always asking if I had any questions.
I would have no issue returning to this hospital if I had to, even though hospitals generally give me the heebie-​jeebies!

The lab staff, technicians, people in those levels were nice and friendly. Can’t say much for the nurses and doctors. I suffered a bad fall and had a concussion and multiple injuries. I felt like I was seen but not heard and they had an attitude of get this done, pushed out and another in. I know health care is free here, but because of that, they are paid by the number of cases they see, not the number of happy cases. Unlike Britain. Doctors get bonuses on how well their treatment is progressing with the patient and if the patients are happy with them. I asked for water for more than an hour. And got none. My husband finally came to pick me up and he asked for water for me. All they needed to do was hand him a paper cup and he could go to the drinking fountain infront of me and fill it up. I couldn’t do it myself because i was down. Nurse gave him a dirty look and ignored him. Another nurse told him to go to the convenience store which is away from the exit which result in me being wheeled further and suffering pain longer, just to get some water. Service in third world countries are much better even though they are paid much less.

Well, what can I say about health care in Calgary. It turns out its not as bad as everyone says. At least not from my experience last Friday.
I was riding my bike through a parking lot and hit one of those parking block things and went for a tumble. I got up and dusted myself off and realized my shoulder was sore and making a crunchy, grinding kinda sound and it hurt.
So off to the Peter Lougheed I go. After waiting about ½ hour in the emergency room then an hour wait to get an X-​ray and another hour for the doctor. He diagnosed my problem as a broken collar bone (DUH, I could have told him that) I was on my way home within 3 hours with a sling and some pain killers.
I’ve heard all the horror stories when other people go to Emerg. and I’m sure it does happen but all the staff were very nice and considerate to me.
I might have just got lucky or it was just a slow night.