This is a copy of the email I sent to patientexperience@hhsc.ca.

Very Unprofessional Technician
1 message
Mark Earle Sun, Jan 25, 2015 at 3:15 PM
To: patientexperience@hhsc.ca
To whom this may concern,

I am writing this email explaining the experience my wife and I had at the Hamilton General Hospital while having my ICD checkup.

I expect to hear back from someone to explain to me what steps will be taken to correct the technician’s position so that no other patient has to go through what my wife and I went through.

When my wife and I were first called in by, Joan Dean the technician I was immediately on guard because of the tone she used to address us. I commented that I have a different technician today, Joan did not introduce herself and said nothing to my comment. Then Joan held up part of the machine to my pacemaker. I then commented that I hope the battery was still good. Joan then said the battery was meant to last ten years, which is not what i was told originally but said nothing about that comment. Joan then said that when it came time to replace the battery they would replace the hole unit. I must have looked surprisedbecause she ask me if that was a problem. I said it could be and her question was, are you dissing us? I was shocked and upset that she would accuse me of that and replied I was not referring to you personally but have concerns with qualified doctors and waiting times in our health care system.

I told Joan that my wife has extreme pain and she has to wait two months to get an MRI. Joan’s reply was “You think your wife should bump out a cancer patient?” I said no, there should be more MRI machines. Joan said “Do you think there is a bottomless money pit?”
How does Joan know my wife’s condition maybe her pain is from something life threatening?
She acted like the money for MRI machines was coming out of her bank account.

I informed Joan that we had lived in the USA for a short time and I experienced the difference in the care and told her if I had had my heart attack living were we live now I would not have survived. Joan told me I didn’t know that and that they save heart attack patience like me in St. Catharines. Just to let you know that hospital was not built when I had my heart attack and I know she does not know the circumstances when I had my (WIDOW MAKER) heart attack.

The tone of Joan’s voice was antagonistic and very upsetting to me, a heart patient who my personal physician has advised to avoid stressful situations and also very upsetting to my wife who watched me be upset and suffers from PTSD and Anxiety disorder.

I have worked with the public over the years and have taken many courses on how to treat a customer and strongly advise that if Joan Dean wishes to continue working with patients that she be sent for training on what to say and what not to say, especially the tone she addresses to people.

Being a former manager if I had a complaint like this from two witnesses I would have levied proper discipline to make sure if there was a next time termination was the next step.

I expect to hear from the Niagara heath care system in a speedy fashion so that no other patients suffer from the the same disrespect that my wife and I suffered.

Oh I almost forget Joan’s last words to me as I left ” Have a nice day BUDDY!”

Since we had this experience my wife has major concerns that Joan may have changed settings on my pacemaker to my detriment. I am requesting another technician check the records to make sure that did not happen, for my wife’s peace of mind.

If you need a signed copy of this for legal purposes my wife and I are glad to.

I do have one very important request and that is to make sure I see the other technician I have been seeing before last Friday January 23, 2015. Also would you inform Joan I am not her buddy.

Persistently Yours,

Mark Earle and Catherine Earle