The emergency room was packed. There was a black man with his hands in his groin area, scratching and scratching. He asked me for some money to buy something from the vending machine. I gave him a couple of bucks. He stopped scratching for a little while. Then he started again. I looked him straight in the eye and told him "stop that!" and he said "yes ma'am". He said "I'm itching". Then he started scratching his ankles, legs & arms. He looked like a homeless man; his clothes & hair were dirty & matted. Then another guy that didn't stop coughing. He was wearing a mask, but hacked the whole time he was there. No one wanted to sit close to him. Anyway my heart went out to both of them. I believe there should be sections in the ER, to put those coughing and really dirty, separate (like you have for the wheelchair section). I didn't see anyone spraying or cleaning the chairs as the people left, especially the hand grips. I have to give a big 'thank you' to the nursing staff, especially the triage nurse that worked with my special needs son, the phlebotomist that drew his blood and the Hispanic medical assistant that took his vitals. They were so courteous and showed genuine concern for my Son and situation. The ER nurse (Harry) was great and so were the 2 ER doctors that attended my Son. When we left the Admitting Staff all said goodbye to us and wished my Son well...that was touching. I believe when Special Needs children & Adults go the ER, because they don't understand why they are there, especially the Autistic individuals who are anxious, crying, and have no patience, they should be given special consideration when waiting to be seen by a doctor in the ER. Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinions and concerns.
CMC ED