The New London Hospital (NLH) Emergency Department (ED) might not be the largest in the state, but with its excellent emergency medical services, radiology, laboratory and telemedicine resources, its providers have access to the tools they need to provide quality care. Under the compassionate guidance of Jonathan Season, MD, medical director and ED chair, the NLH ED stands as a testament to excellence in patient care and understanding.
"It's important to realize that when people come into the ED, they are in a very vulnerable place," Season shares, and often reminds his team. "This is often the worst day of their lives, or at least a really bad day. It's important to get down to the level of a patient and look them in the eye and hear them and truly understand what it is that they're going through."
Within the walls of NLH, empathy and understanding are not mere ideals but the cornerstone of the approach to medicine.
“Every patient who crosses the threshold is met with kindness and respect, their fears and concerns treated with the utmost seriousness,” says Trevor Swan, RN, director of Clinical Services, ED.
In April, staff of the ED were honored to learn that latest Press Ganey results reflected an astounding achievement. Patient satisfaction for the month of April scored the same or better than 99% of all reporting EDs within the Press Ganey Database. This remarkable feat, across 2,618 EDs, underscores NLH's commitment to excellence and compassion.
and Carla Marshall,
Health Unit Coordinator,
NLH ED
"Patient satisfaction here is exceptional," Season emphasizes, with a hint of pride evident in his voice. "Patients really do feel in large numbers well cared for here. We pay a lot of attention to detail. We have very capable providers and in terms of the feedback we get from our community, it really is, a department that punches above its weight. It's a small department that does a really great job with its community."
At NLH, the focus extends beyond treating symptoms—it encompasses healing the whole person. From the dedicated nurses who provide comfort in times of distress to the skilled physicians who tirelessly work to ease suffering, every member of the team plays a vital role in ensuring that each patient receives the care they deserve.