With the caveat that all of the information I get is from disgruntled patients or their family members along with from malpractice attorneys in Chicago, and just my opinion, I have to wonder how is St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago still in business.

In the last month I’ve had six different people call me looking to sue them for medical malpractice.  Not every one of them had a case, but they all had nightmare stories of how they were treated and allegations of terrible medical care.

It would be one thing if this was atypical, but the truth is I get more calls from people looking to sue them than any other hospital.  This is true month after month.

St. Bernard is an important hospital because it serves a lower income area.  Not every doctor or nurse is willing to work there.  It’s a grind and they are allegedly over worked and under staffed.

All that said, I once had a prominent Chicago medical malpractice attorney tell me that he wouldn’t take his dog there.  This is not a guy that blurts that type of stuff out willy nilly.

When we think about social justice or social equality, it is clear that health care has a long way to go in terms of catching up.  The reality is that the behavior that is acceptable by staff at Saint Bernard would not fly just a little down the road at University of Chicago hospital or at a place like Highland Park Hospital.

This is a little bit of a rant.  Medical malpractice will happen.  It’s inevitable.  At any hospital.  The problems that I hear about St. Bernard are that it’s a rather outdated facility.  It’s dirty. The security guards, per online reviews and people that have called, and some of the staff, are rude and will look at you like you are a criminal.    I’ve been told many times about terrible bedside manner, that exams are rushed.  Twice in the last month I’ve had a call from someone who was told by a different hospital that if they hadn’t sought a second opinion after being discharged by St. Bernard, they would have died.

I’ve heard complaints about almost every hospital in the Chicago area. The number at this one is staggering though. In my opinion, if you have the ability to go somewhere else, you should.  And if you go there and don’t think you got the best treatment, get a second opinion right away.  If your experience is like that of some of my callers, it could literally save your life.