HOSPITAL: Smooth sailing now

On July 6, I underwent unplanned surgery on the lower spine at Kootenai Health. The care I received was nothing short of fantastic. However, upon leaving the hospital, I discovered a torture gauntlet of speed bumps. Not ordinary speed bumps. Literally the largest ones I’ve ever seen. There was no way out of the parking lot without passing over them. Even the slightest rolling over the bumps was excruciatingly painful — and they were everywhere. I contemplated how many patients leave the hospital every day following surgery. Somewhere in Kootenai County, an actual human being thought it was a good idea to install these in front of a surgery center.

Since being discharged, I brought this to the attention of the hospital administration and they kindly agreed to look into the problem. They requested comments from the community and it quickly became obvious that there was overwhelming support for their removal. Any benefit they may have provided in terms of speed reduction was greatly overshadowed by the harm being done to nearly every single patient whose insides were just opened up.

On July 19, KH removed the speed bumps in question so as to permit a clear path for surgery patients to exit the hospital. Patients who undergo back surgery, C-sections, or other major operations should be pleased to know that they will no longer fear the sight of the post-op speed bump gauntlet.

I salute Kootenai Health for taking my input seriously.

JEREMY MORRIS

Hayden