Quote:

Newark Beth Israel has an awesome ped clinic & ER. Our pediatrician practices there. When my son was about a year we called him because the baby was wheezing, and he told us to go to the ER. We walked in the door and the nurse shouted "infant in respiratory distress!", grabbed him from us and whisked him into a treatment room. It turned out not be asthma but bronchiolitis. He stayed overnight and it never recurred. Flawless experience. 15 minutes from Downtown JC just off exit 55 on rt 78.

Our Maternity experience at Hoboken was great, but when I went to the ER with severe abdominal pain, there was a long wait, and they sent me home undiagnosed. I ended up being admitted there the next day by my GP, spent a week on IV Cipro, and still they never came up with a diagnosis.

If I were needing non-emergent care I'd see a Dr practicing near Mt Sinai or NY hosp. But if you have a spouse & kids it's a real issue being admitted that far away. Not worth dying over, however.

Quote:

Did you have Dr. House?

I went to Christ hopsital with a fractured limb a couple of years ago, and thankfully my wait in the emergency room was pretty minimal (< 30 minutes). I've never gone to JCMC, but I've heard that unless you're in there for something time-sensitive (uncontrolled bleeding, appendicitis, etc.), you can expect to wait for hours.

Quote:

Only 18 hours? They must be improving. ;) I went in to JCMC for an emergency and ended up there for 9 days. I had a different diagnosis nearly every day, a different surgery proposed nearly every day, and in the end was treated with IV antibiotics for a few days, followed by antibiotic pills. Since this experience, I will only go to NYC hospitals.

A friend of mine delivered up at Meadowlands, and it seems like a very nice place for delivering a baby. It's so slow though, I can't help but wonder how they are in dealing with serious emergencies. But, if you needed something simple like stitches it seems like it would be a good place to go.

Jersey City Medical Center has a corporate coordinator. My company is at Journal Square. My company nurse said that when they call the coordinator and send someone over to JCMC, the coordinator will see that he gets taken care of.

I've had two experiences with JCMC both of them good - a friend went to her GP with abdominal pain. He diagnosed appendicitis and instructed her to have someone take her to an emergency room so I drove her over to JCMC. It was a Tues evening about 7pm and the waiting room was full but they triaged her immediately got her in front of the on call and processed her for surgery that night. She was operated on and discharged the following day and had an overall good experience.
I cut myself on a Sunday afternoon, walked in, saw a doctor immediately got stitches and was out within an hour.
So...so far so good, but I've got a one year old and would be hesitant to take him there for an emergency based on the responses so far. Other than Hackensack, are there ERs nearby recommended for pediatrics?

i've been to several local hospitals for emergencies.

meadowlands is my favorite.

jcmc, despite being one of the best trauma centers in the state, straight up suck for emergencies.

JCMC is a JOKE, I don't even know what is going on over there, last time I attempted to go there, pregnant I woke up in a pool of blood at 2am, I sat there in the waiting room until 6am without even being called in to see a doctor. Needless to say I left, I tried to go to Christ but could not find any parking, I went back home and called my doctor as soon as they got in. That being said IF you drive, I go to Meadowlands Hospital for emergencies its about a 15 minute drive and you are in and out and I have never seen more then 3 people in the waiting room nor have I ever waited to be seen more then an hour, I am actually delivering my baby there and refuse to go to any JC hospital. Anytime you go to JCMC for the emergency room expect to wait at least 4-5 hours to be seen. There is no system there it's a complete clusterfu**

I've been to all three hospitals for emergencies - and the answer to your question is; What is your emergency?

If you're talking about a critical incident where your life is in immediate danger and minutes count, I would go to Jersey City Medical Center which is the designated regional trauma center.

If you needed a minor procedure (let's say, stitches) and wanted to stay local, I would go to Hoboken UMC.

I would avoid Christ Hospital as they do not have a great reputation - based upon many stories of friends that have been there. I wasn't that impressed during my visit.

If my child was sick with a high fever or had an injury that required pediatric expertise, I would head over to Hackensack UMC who has one of the best pediatric facilities in the state. They also have a fantastic maternity center - the reason my son is alive today is because of these docs. It takes about 30 minutes to get there by car.

I have a great respect for New York City hospitals and the medical expertise they impart - but make sure you're going to a center of excellence; NYU (not downtown, the one in the East 30's) or Columbia for neurological, orthopedics, immunological, oncology, maternity and pediatrics etc.).

It's a good question to ask - and to prepare oneself for.

Agreed - STAY AWAY from JC Medical Center. Had a friend who fell and was told she had a sprained ankle by looking at the x-rays. Two days later she could not walk. She went into NYC to see a specialist and he told her that the ankle was broken in two places as clearly seen on the x-rays! NIGHTMARE PLACE

Do what you can to get to Manhattan. I spent an hour last writhing on the floor of Christ Hospital in blinding pain before they let me see a medical professional. They kept sending teenage idiots to me to fill out paperwork while I was practically chewing through a piece a leather. I spoke to doctors afterwards who told me this hour delay was above average.

I had to go to the emergency room a few months ago on a weekday evening. The waiting room at JC Medical was packed - there was no where even to sit and a lot of people were standing outside on the sidewalk. I was told it would be a very long time before a doctor would be able to see me so my boyfriend drove me to Hoboken Medical Center. It was still a 2 hour wait in the emergency room, but overall I was pleased with the treatment and doctor who saw me. I would definitely go to Hoboken if I had an emergency again.

NYP - New York Presbyterian. Seriously. Had an experience at Jersey City Medical Center last year - took a family member to the emergency room and it was 18 hours before the condition was properly diagnosed. Even after the diagnosis, the level of care was bad and luckily the delay in diagnosis did not make the illness worse, although it could have. The lack of care and several mistakes/inaction by the hospital staff was dangerous and scary. We transferred out of JCMC and over to NYP so they could get proper treatment for a very serious condition. Ended up staying at NYP for two weeks. From the moment we arrived at NYP, a team of doctors and nurses provided the best care possible and made possible a full recovery. I hate to think what the outcome would have been at JCMC.

I went to JCMC in the spring after I cut myself w/ a kitchen knife - they're ok for these types of cases, but anything more serious I'd avoid them.

I'm a long time NYC resident and only lived in JC for the past 4 years. Jersey City Medical Center and Christ Hospital are the two closest hospitals in Downtown JC. I've never had to use either them in an emergency. I did visit Christ once for an ear problem and I was not impressed to say the least. Who has had experience using JC Medical Center for an emergency visit? And for an emergency, which would anyone recommend based on actual experience with each hospitals emergency intake? Thanks much for anyone's insight.

P.S. I'm looking for real responses based on actual experiences. Please, I'm not looking for smart ass remarks or jokes which I see quite often on this board.