Recently, my husband required surgery at the hospital here in Orangeville better known as Headwaters Health Care Centre.  I thought I would write a little bit about our afternoon spent there and the experience as a whole.

A hospital is a place that many people take into consideration when they are relocating to a new area.  It’s somewhere we hope we never have to visit but when you do have to visit, you want to ensure that you receive quality care and treatment.  I know it’s not the same as checking into a hotel but there are similarities when it comes to your expectations of the environment you’ll be in.   You want the staff to be friendly, you want good service and you want it to be clean.

We checked into the new ambulatory care wing, we were told to check in at the kiosk.  You swipe your health card and go through a standard process then told to proceed to the waiting room around the corner and to wait to be called by a number assigned to us on a printout.  The space was bright, new and modern.  After only a few minutes, my husband’s number appeared on the television screen and a page was heard overhead as well.  He proceeded to visit the registration window where the staff verified his information and placed a hospital band on his wrist.  He was told to proceed to the surgical waiting room and given directions on how to get there.  This room was also new and clean. We joined a couple of other patients awaiting their turns.  We were only there a few minutes when a volunteer came out to call a patient in and let us know that they were running a little behind schedule today.

We sat there for the better part of an hour and a half before my husband was called in.  The nurse asked for the paperwork we had been instructed to bring and whisked him away.  She did promise to come back and get me before he went into surgery.  Not long after, she did come back to get me and we sat with the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, his intern and a friendly nurse all of who introduced themselves.  The anesthesiologist asked a list of questions, went over his medical history, the process of being anesthetized and asked if we had any concerns.  Moments later he was off.

We have been to the emergency room on several occasions (I’ve lost count).  None of those visits compared to this one.  Everyone at the hospital was pleasant, the cafeteria and the little coffee shop (with fresh baked goods – yummy) were both open.  I even popped into the gift shop which was being manned by a young and very pleasant volunteer.

If you have to go in for a procedure, you want it to be as stress free as possible.  They truly made it the best it could be given the circumstances.  Rest assured, if you are looking to make Dufferin County your new home, you’ll be well taken care of should you need to spend any time at Headwaters Health Care Centre.