Westside employees went out of their way to make our experience easier…read more
My Mom just spent nearly 2 weeks at Westside, within a month's time. Here's why we really trust them.
ER - unlike tv ERs, the waiting room is a quiet, small, clean space with security officers and intake staff engaging with us. We didn't wait long to meet Mom inside the large ER and stay with her for more than an hour while they ran tests. When Mom was cold, they gave her warm blankets from their blanket incubators. When she got hungry, they got her food.
The nurses - they are the hands and eyes of the doctors, who saw Mom every day. No matter when we ask, or which nurse, they all knew how Mom was doing, and not that generic 'she's ok' but a breakdown of what went on. Each day, before we walked into Mom's room, we'd speak with the nurse assigned to her room, and find out her health status. Every nurse made time for us. I've never seen nurses move so fast but they made sure no patient 'waited' long for them.
Mom's nurse Michelle shared medical info about Mom and I had questions. She got the doctor assigned to Mom's case to call ME on a Sunday night, while we were in the hospital. I still can't get over that. Dr. Lopez called me with calm kindness, not annoyed tone. He was really nice and offered info I didn't think to ask. Totally amazing experience.
The food - my Mom has stayed at two rehabs in the past 5 weeks and didn't love the food. But while at Westside, she ate every bit of food she was served. They put a purple orchid on her plates so she ate with her eyes and then with her fork!
The cleanliness - this is on another level. You cannot find a bit of dirt or a paper or anything anywhere in that building. One day, we were in the elevator and an employee with a mobile housekeeping cart got in. Then another person from housekeeping joined us a floor up and when she saw the cart, she struck up a conversation with the other housekeeping person. She said how her cart is in the shop and she can't wait to get it back. They were talking about their carts like they were luxury cars. Professionals were given the tools they need to do their jobs, and they do their jobs perfectly. Go into any rehab and compare it to the giant size of Westside and the sparkling cleanliness that Westside has.
Security and coffee shop - no matter who is working the desk, these are the nicest security officers ever. They are all in uniform and they are all professional. They go by the book about ID and where you're going,etc. But they are the sweetest, most considerate people too. One night, after becoming known to all the officers, having gone to the hospital every day, we got there just after visiting hours. We had a cup of tea for my Mom who asked me to bring it. We stumbled outside of the locked doors and were so burned out we couldn't figure out what to do next, and as we were kind of in shock that the doors were locked, having gotten used to the 24/7 of the rehab, an officer let us in. We went to Mom's room, dropped off the tea and took the elevator back down. We didn't take advantage of their kindness and we were in the parking lot within minutes. When you can, go to the coffee shop because the guys there are very friendly and considerate. When I told them I was getting Mom tea, the guy put two bags in the cup. When I added spinach empanadas and guava pastilitos for us to eat before going to Mom's room, they heated them for me. Likely both the officer and counter guy pushed the rules a bit, but they made me feel ok after being emotionally pushed and doing my all to keep it together.
Case managers - every one of them is truly interested in sharing information and keeping us aware of insurance approvals/discharge orders/appeals/etc. Everyone of them but Nancy. Luckily they rotate the worklist so even if you get Nancy, hopefully in a day or two you won't. She is abrasive and obnoxious - and we got along!
When I broke my wrist in 2025, we went to Westside. It was a good experience and I'm glad we went there. Through the years, under whichever name on the door, my late grandma, late husband, current husband, Mom and I have all gone there for treatment/testing. I have nothing bad to say about the hospital and especially this year, am very glad we trusted Westside.
Mom is on the mend and hopes to see the Westside healthcare teams socially, only.