Review of Harris Methodist Hospital Emergency Room in Azle, TX

I recently had the misfortune of having to visit a local Emergency Room. The other night I slipped and fell in a Walmart, injuring my knee. They didn't agree to call an ambulance so I went home to rest my leg and ice it. Of course the next day, my knee got worse and worse, so off to the emergency room I went, arriving at approximately 5 pm. I was driven to Harris Methodist Hospital in Azle, Texas and I signed in.

I'm not going to attempt to review or give my uneducated opinion about Harris Methodist Hospital as a whole. I have no clue what goes on beyond the emergency department. Besides, I'm not a doctor nor a hospital administrator, for all I know it's a ghastly place, but the face the emergency room gives to the hospital is a good one.

First, the parking is very convenient and readily available. There are steps down to the doorway as well as a handicap ramp. Why do they make those things so long anyway? This isn't the only time I've run across an excessively long handicap ramp but I've always wondered why.

Among the first things I noticed once inside was how well lit and clean the waiting area is. It's not a large area but adequate. The floor was spotless. Sorry, but I notice these things at hospitals. The employees were very gracious and pleasant as well as helpful. I filled out the necessary forms, saw the triage nurse almost immediately and waited my turn. Mind you, I wasn't bleeding and didn't have a fever so I settled in for a long wait as there were several people already waiting. The next thing I noticed was that the snack machine area was also very clean. Please don't laugh. The emergency room in my former hometown hospital had nasty machines and the floor around them usually had spilled coffee on it.

My wait turned out to be very pleasant and brief, relatively speaking. It impressed me. The young children seemed to be taken first, then a woman who was decidedly uncomfortable, then myself and a 10 year old boy who turned out to have an injury similar to mine. Were they empty? No, not at all. During my wait, which was under an hour, a steady stream of patients came out from the door of the care area.