Mount Sinai Hospital

Immediate Action Required: Mount Sinai Hospital's Alarming State of Affairs

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter with a heavy heart and a sense of urgency, to bring to light the deplorable state of affairs at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. This institution, which should be a sanctuary of healing and care, has regrettably devolved into a nightmarish pit of healthcare malpractice, particularly for Black and Transgender individuals.

The hospital's current state is nothing short of dystopian. It stands as an emblem of decay and filth, utterly betraying the very concept of health and sanitation. It is a place where the most fundamental principles of human respect and dignity are not just overlooked but viciously trampled upon.

The staff's behavior here transcends the bounds of the unacceptable and ventures into the monstrous. Rather than a team of healthcare professionals, they resemble a cohort steeped in contempt and prejudice. Their interactions with marginalized patients go beyond mere unprofessionalism; they are an abhorrent perversion of medical ethics and a brutal display of disdain that crushes the soul.

My experiences in seeking treatment for serious injuries have been met with a chilling void of empathy at Mount Sinai. The denial of care is not simply a failure of duty; it is a deliberate act of cruelty, systematically stripping away any semblance of humanity. Interactions with the ER staff have been particularly harrowing, characterized by a mix of arrogance, staggering incompetence, and a blatant disregard for patient concerns, aggravating injuries and causing irreversible harm.

In the Dental Clinic, the discrimination is palpable and disturbing. The biased treatment of Black Transgender Women, dismissing severe conditions as trivial, is not only medical malpractice but a blatant violation of human rights and an affront to medical oaths.

The psychological toll of this systemic bigotry has devastated my mental health, pushing it into a state of irreparable ruin. The hospital's indifference and harmful practices are a grotesque betrayal of healthcare principles.

These grave issues have compelled me to notify law enforcement and the Canadian Minister of Health. The situation at Mount Sinai Hospital demands swift and severe corrective measures. The hospital must confront and rectify these appalling failures, honor its medical commitments, and extend basic decency of care and respect to all patients.

The egregious neglect and overt malevolence within Mount Sinai Hospital represent an intolerable affront to humanity. It is imperative that the hospital takes full responsibility for the extensive suffering it has caused. The continuation of such malicious practices is a shameful blot on its reputation. Patients deserve a complete overhaul of this catastrophic collapse in care and human decency.

Sincerely,

It's odd to have a favorite hospital but this is it for me. First off, their emergency wing is amazing. The longest I've ever been there was 4-5 hours and that included intake, treatment and and tests they had to conduct. Once time I was in and out of Emerg within 20 minutes!

The staff are great. I've only once or twice had to deal with less than understanding attitudes, and they process you very quickly.

I've also had gallbladder removal surgery there and the nurses made my stay, I've seen a respiratory doctor there and had my tonsils snipped, all top notch.

They really are the cream of the crop. Hands down

Emergency services, waited for 2hrs.
I asked the nurse what the approximate time I might wait for. Nurse: someone waited for 4 hrs. I was like???? Are you sure this is emergency? I should build myself a tombstone now.

2 excellent experiences
1999 and then again 2001 (babies, just in case u didn't get it.....)
Excellent staff
Great doctors, nurses

But
Parking prices are ridiculous around here

I hate this hospital. I've been sitting here for 4 hours. everyone else that came after me is now finish and gone. someone who came after me with the exact same symptoms was seen before me. my partner is a white woman and was here a week ago with the same symptoms and was seen within 30 mins. the person who has the exact symptoms and came after me is a white woman and was seen before me. on top off that as I sit here typing this message, dying in my chair. no one was spoken to me, no one has asked me how I was feeling, I have shortness of breathe, tingling in my right arm, pains in my chest that are 8/10 and all other Covid like symptoms. and nothing was done, inwent to ask for Tylenol to possibly bring down the fever and as soon as I got it even tho the nurse knew I couldn't stand without help she looked at me and said "get out of my chair, I need to see other people" . how rude? I'm sorry that I'm black, maybe if I wasn't you people would be able to help me. thanks for absolutely nothing.

Strong points:
Quality medical care by the cream of the crop medical professionals. (Am having problems with my ankle and knee - decades of running, and time, has taken its toll on some of my joints). No one wants to be in hospital, but there is a sense of comfort knowing that you are in good hands - I feel exactly the same way about Sunnybrook Hospital.

Weak(er) points:
Had to have a specific test on my ankle, requisitioned by my specialist to them (and a follow up telephone call from me), and ended up arriving IN PERSON to BOOK my appointment. For someone who is not mobile, a big issue potentially. More than that I will not say. Don't expect anything from the front-desk staff anywhere in this hospital. Sorry.

Bottom line: this is a hospital where you can rest assured you are surrounded by the most qualified professionals in their field who will do their best to help you - based on their knowledge, experience and credentials (which are stellar).

Granted I didn't birth a child here per se (not unlike my Toronto colleague) but I was hands-on throughout my fiancee's pregnancy, labour and delivery, so I feel like I have a leg to stand on here in writing them a glowing review.

I knew I wanted to review MSH from the moment we found out we were having a baby. There really isn't a single thing that this hospital does wrong especially when it comes to L&D.

We were referred to Dr Lindsay Shirref as our OBGYN by my fiancees GP and we connected with her right away. I'd read that she's a newer doctor (she's younger than a lot of the other OBs in the system) but don't let that turn you off. She was honestly the best. She takes patients on Wednesdays and she's nearly always fully booked so if you go to see her don't be alarmed when you see more of her receptionist and the nurses then you do of her. For most of your appointments, it's a quick check on how baby is doing and you're out.

We had a couple of stressful experiences over the course of our pregnancy that Dr. Shirref really handled like a pro and really earned her place in our hearts. The worst one was when we'd been for 2 consecutive appointments and her staff hadn't been able to detect a heartbeat. We were worried, but rather than simply give us an order for an Ultrasound appointment Dr. S walked across the building herself and pushed us to the front of the queue. This was a huge relief for us we were seen right away, despite the crazy line up. And thankfully all was A-OK!

The later into our pregnancy we got the more time I noticed Dr. Shirref spent with us, answering questions, taking time to ensure that we were both at ease and always ensuring us that this or that was "totally normal" and she was "very happy with what she was seeing". As a lot of new parents can attest to, sometimes you just need to be reassured on a regular basis that everything is OK.

We paid to take the prenatal classes through MSH, they tell you to make sure you take it between week 32-36 weeks, however, make sure you REGISTER for these classes LONG before that as we waited until closer to 32 weeks and by that time everything was nearly booked so we didn't get an optimal class scheduled (two consecutive Saturdays). It's pricey but I felt well informed and prepared (as well as can be) following completing these classes.

On to Delivery day!
Wow. What an experience. Having a daughter aside, the level of care we received from admission to discharge was unmatched. I won't go into every detail of our L&D experience but a couple of important points for any parents considered what hospital to go with for their pregnancy.

1. unlike many other hospitals, MSH has a dedicated Anesthesiologist (and residents) on hand JUST for L&D. Many hospitals have one shared by all departments of the hospital so when the time comes that you decide you want that hallowed epidural if the Anesthesiologist is elsewhere... you're doing your childbirth "au natural".

2. You get a 5-star suite to deliver your baby in. Which is complete with pretty much anything you might want from stability balls to oversized inflatable device between your legs, to stability bar for your bed to even a tub

3. You get a dedicated nurse at all times. Not a shared nurse, from admission you had a nurse assigned to you until the baby is born.

There are literally a thousand great things and conveniences that go along with giving birth at MSH, but with the good comes to bad, and the bad here isn't even all that bad but enough to put down and worth noting for others.

1. Don't expect your ultrasounds to be magical. We had several and there was one lady there who gave the appearance of hating pregnant ladies, wouldn't answer in more than one word and was super cold. I spoke to other parents and apparenty there are a couple of staff that are "real gems" and really take the wind out of your excited sails.

2. During our attempt to discharge from the hospital with baby one of the nurses, the same who had led our discharge class, was really short, snippy and rude when we were asking clarifying questions regarding our car seat. Inferring that we weren't listening or that "it was covered in class so you should know it". I'm sorry my fiancee and I are new to this, so have some empathy, I know you repeat the same instructions day in day out but we're first-timers at this and a little patience would have great.

3. More of a "First world problem" but the postpartum room was a semi-private and we had requested a private but that wasn't available, the downside of this is you're now contending with another person's baby, both of their sleep schedules and their visitors.

Don't let my very minor grievances at the end turn you off, the overall experience was amazing, and we'd gladly do it all again here.

Thank you to everyone who touched our lives over the last 40 weeks!

I would not donate to this hospital ever your hospital here in Toronto lied to me. I fought for two years at mount Sinai dental clinic to get all my teeth removed destroyed by 8 years of morphine pain meds and throwing up all the time. And because I can not wear normal dentures they were to get funding for me to get dental implant anchors to hold dentures in place. A year ago all my teeth got removed leaving the gum bone all uneven and at times in pain like there is still rotted teeth. Now because I have no teeth to eat with I live on soft foods and soups because I can not chew anything . Now Mount Sinai does not even return my phone calls any more to finish what they promised to do for me . Really nice way the sick and disabled seniors living in poverty get treated in this damn country

I was told to go to the emergency room to check out my leg for possible blood clot. So i got my music and book ready for my visit to Mount Sinai Hospital. I thought it's going to be an all night wait. When i got to the emergency, i saw mobile beds lined up in the corridor. A woman was cuffed to the bed with 2 police guarding her. The waiting room was packed with people. When i checked in with the receptionist, she did the computer work for me quickly. Almost immediately after i sat down to begin my long wait, i was called to go into the inner sunctum of the emergency to a bed to wait for the doctor. While i was waiting, i heard an eerie scream from a man... nothing like the screams heard on Grey's Anatomy tv show. Goose bumps. An attendent came to me pretty quickly to examine my leg and asked me questions. Then a doctor came to follow up. They were both attractive people, and the bustling actions made me feel like i was part of Meridith Grey's world.
Aside from Grey's Anatomy reference, everything was surreally real. The staff did an incredible job of treating me in record time. They were thorough and professional, and they left nothing to chance. Given how much distain i have for the medical industry, i have to take my hat off to the staff at Mount Sinai and say you guys were awesome. Thank you.
The only reason why i am giving a 4 star is that, for some reasons, the waiting room reeked and was kinda dirty. Small details i guess in a larger picture of what's important.
Ps. There's a gallery there... pretty neat to have in a hospital.

This might be a review for Mount Sinai Hospital, but it is going to seem like a review for Women's College Hospital, because that is my usual hospital, and being brand spanking new, and the second phase still under construction, it is all upgraded and clean and new.

So going to Mount Sinai Hospital, which is currently undergoing renovations inside, was like entering a cold, dark, gloomy cave.

Signs to find the office you are searching for are sparse and criptic.

But the Dr.Chapnick, the ENT I saw there was nice, and the wait wasn't too long.

I have waited more than an hour for specialists at Sunnybrook.

Overall this visit made me glad that most of my specialists are at Women's College Hospital.