Baystate Medical Center - Springfield, Massachusetts

Diana Y.

My Dad was at Baystate last year for sepsis. The first ward he was in (critical care or something) was pretty good. The staff was attentive. Then, he was moved to a different ward or, as my family refers to it, the hell hole. Horrific care! I could never have even imagined that a hospital could have such awful care. It was obvious that they were lacking in systems and policies. The rooms were dirty. Feces and blood on the floor and on the part of the bed that touches the floor. The staff were overwhelmed and overworked. Many just threw their hands in the air. A doctor wanted to cut my dad's toe off that very day. Thankfully, it didn't sound right to my mom and she made him wait. Turns out, there was no infection in my dad's toe at all and he didn't need it amputated. If my Mom wasn't there, they would have amputated it for no reason. We had to have an advocate there 24/7 to prevent dangerous medical mishaps and to get anyone to change the bedpan (they left him sitting in his shit for hours) or give my dad his medication on time. They accidentally over medicated him at one point and we thought he was dying (comatose and his eyes rolling in the back of his head). We could never find any staff. It was hard to get a hold of the doctors. We could never get a hold of administration to tell our concerns to. All the call buttons would be going off on the floor, but no one would come. Staff regularly blamed other staff and claimed they weren't responsible for this person or that person's care, but whoever was supposed to be responsible was never found. One medical professional told us if it were his loved one in the section we were in, he would do everything he could to transfer them out of there. He gave us advice on how to do it, but we could never get a hold of the powers that he to make it happen. I would beg to be taken anywhere but here after our experience. I could never even have imagined worse care. There were some really great people. It wasn't everyone, but the it's clear the place we were in was poorly run with abysmal employee training.

becky S.

Last week I came to the Emergency Room with severe abdominal pain trouble breathing headache and vomiting. After 13 hours of which all they did was blood work and EKG and left me crying in pain in the waiting room I left as I couldn’t hold it no more. I get hospitals get busy etc but this is ridiculous and the new trend for what used to be a good hospital. What was worse was the nurse who was rude when I checked in after 8 hours. Told me “You came to a trauma center what do you expect they have to handle those emergencies first”. I will never go back to the ER there.

Luanna C.

Have been sitting here for 16 hrs with my mother who has CHF and blood clots in her leg. Intense pain. Then there's a nurse who only cones out to telk people who are very ill and in pain to keep their feet off the furniture, they are just trying to find a comfortable position after 12 to 26 hrs. Another nurse was extremely rude when asking questions. Still here hoping for the best but looking like bare minimum effort empty beds in back, nobody being called in. Will not be returning to this hospital for emergency services. And please don't bother responding with generic apologies with a phone number to call.

Deborah B.

My special needs sister left in ER for 3 days vomiting and diarrhea. When I arrive she was covered in vomiting sitting and her own stool. It the nurse 2.5 more hours to clean her up and give her pain meds. When I called back the next day she was still in ER and no one in ER answered phone . I tried calling between 7:30- 3:30 pm. Multiple times. This is not acceptable!

J W.

Day 1 - we got the call for a kidney and drove the 1 and 20 minutes to hospital. Right away they sent my dad to shower and as soon as he was done he had several nurses doing different things to get him ready. Only ones I wasn’t impressed with was the ones putting in the IV. My dad tried to tell them the best spot and they were talking to each other over him. So one of the IV’s was uncomfortable for him. All the other nurses were amazing though. I only remember a few names as this is an overwhelming time. Down to pre op room and anesthesiologist and transplant doctor came and told us what would be done and answered all my questions. Then the doctor confirmed he had my number to call me after. I was very impressed with that. The doctor himself called me when the surgery was done and told me how it went. I think his name was Dr. Kavanaugh but it was hard to hear fully with the mask. I waited in his room and the nurses came in with updates like he will be going for an ultrasound and then will be up in a certain amount of time. When they brought him up again several nurses was there to get him hooked back up and see what he needed. We probably won’t get much sleep as they will be in every hour but I’m OK with that.
Day 2 - only 1 nurse today but Sam is very attentive. At 75 my dad is alert and we are cracking jokes (even with little sleep because of the hourly check ups). I never thought after a major surgery like this that my dad would be doing so well. Now I’m waiting for the doctor so I can ask questions.

Lisa B.

ED department is horrible. I was having heart palpitations that were constant and causing shortness of breath. My Eko 500 stethoscope picked up Afib and I was having a severe migraine. I arrived at the ED around 4:30, the hurried and got an ekg, labs and xray then sat me down in the waiting room for 5 hours. I was still having heart palpitations and my migraine was getting worse. Around 8pm the waiting room flooded with people who I’m pretty sure just wanted a warm place to stay for the night. No one was getting called back the entire time I was there which I find crazy because when I went back for my xray C pod was empty. There was probably 10 beds which is more than the people in the waiting room when I arrived. Someone came in and refused all testing until they got him a private room, they get him a private room so they can do a work up and he refused it. After 5 hours I couldn’t bare it anymore the smells, the pacing of a patient who was clearly on something, the lack of a medical personal even coming out to inform me my EKG was nothing to worry about, I left. I asked the staff before leaving how much long or there was any update on my ekg and labs and I got told “we are slow moving they aren’t discharging people fast enough for us to get people in.” I said yeah I know anytime after 5pm the ED shuts down until the next morning, no one moves. As a medical professional for me to be sitting in that waiting room I knew I needed to be seen ASAP. I will be calling patient advocate as well to make a complaint.

Cecilia D.

I have only praise and thanks for the Emergency Department at Baystate. I was a patient there on Christmas Eve. The staff, technicians and doctors were outstanding, professional, and kept us advised as to what they were doing and why. Dr. Walsh was the epitome of what every physician, no matter what their field, should strive to be. Communication, kindness and understanding that any patient is scared and is a human being is key and he understands that. Kudos and many thanks to the entire staff for making my experience there memora

Lillian M.

Baystate Medical Center deserves more than five stars for the compassion and integrity their staff showed me and my family during one of the most difficult times of our lives. My brother passed away on January 13th, and the experience, though heartbreaking, was met with incredible kindness from the staff.

The ER doctor who broke the news to our family was gentle, empathetic, and compassionate with his words. Despite their best efforts to save my brother, it was clear they had done everything they could. His kindness and sincerity helped us process the devastating news in a way that felt supportive during such a fragile moment.

In the days that followed, I was desperately searching for the jewelry my brother had on him at the time of his passing. I had to retrace every step of his transport, feeling overwhelmed and heartbroken. The receptionist, Lisa, immediately empathized with me and offered her heartfelt condolences. She was incredibly kind and helpful, guiding me to the right departments and ensuring my concerns were taken seriously.

I was then connected with Jennifer in the Circle of Life department, who was truly a beacon of light during this dark time. Jennifer went above and beyond in every possible way. She personally searched for the jewelry, made calls to other departments on my behalf, and kept me updated with immediate callbacks. Her genuine care and determination to help me recover what felt like a part of my brother was nothing short of extraordinary. Thanks to her efforts, his jewelry was found, and I was able to pick it up that same day.

This experience could have been a nightmare—I had feared the worst after hearing horror stories of stolen belongings. But because of Baystate Medical Center’s honest and compassionate staff, I was reunited with my brother’s jewelry. This has allowed me to pass it on to my niece, exactly as my brother would have wanted.

Baystate Medical Center not only provided exceptional care and service but gave me and my family a sense of closure during an unimaginable time. Thank you to the ER doctor, Lisa, Jennifer, and everyone else who made this possible. Your kindness will never be forgotten.