Nexus Children's Hospital - Shenandoah

AC

Amanda Collier

14 Jun 2020

My 93 year old mother was hospitalized at Nexus Specialty Hospital (NSH) from April 30 - May 19, 2020. Following a critical care admission at CHI St. Luke’s in The Woodlands, Texas for a severe urinary tract infection associated with septic shock, profound acute renal failure, extreme hyperglycemia and metabolic encephalopathy, Dr. Vuppali, Nephrology and Dr. Chandabhia, Internal Medicine were able to stabilize her sufficiently to transfer her to NSH where they could continue to address her medical issues, while my mom could also receive neuro-rehabilitation.

While at NSH, all of my mom's life threatening medical issues completely normalized. She was additionally evaluated and treated by Dr. John Cassidy and Catherine Worley APN, Neuroscience Team. They adjusted her medication which led to improvement in alertness/ calm behavior during the day, and improved sleep at night. She received speech therapy from Lauren Conrad who progressed her swallowing difficulties from a pureed to a soft mechanical diet, avoiding placement of a feeding tube. She received physical therapy from Thrianna Warkenton who helped to improve her sitting tolerance / endurance in my mom’s own wheelchair which helped to prepare her to return to her assisted living facility. We had wonderful assistance from all of the nurses, C.N.A’ s, respiratory therapists, case management, housekeeping, other floor staff, dietary, business office and more.

In addition to her wonderful care, all of this occurred during COVID when routine family visitation could not be allowed. However, this was remedied by daily Nexus liaison/ nursing facilitated Facetime calls, which helped us stay connected and encouraged my mom in her progress.

Finally, I am coincidentally a physician assistant in my 30th year as an employee of Nexus Health Systems. While I was not assigned to NSH at the time of my mom's illness, Pollyanna Orvik Solfi, the NSH assistant administrator, thoughtfully reached out to me and made the timely suggestion that my mother continue her care at NSH. She also reminded me that because I am on staff I could be allowed to stop by for short visits. I believe this had an additional positive impact on my mom's care. It all came together for a very positive and blessed outcome! My mom was discharged in better condition, and on fewer medications than she took before she became ill. I am so grateful to work for such a supportive integrative healthcare organization that maintains their culture of providing compassionate as well as excellent care. Thank you Nexus Family!

CH

C H Local Guide

1 Feb 2019

My mother was here from November 2017 to January 2018. Nexus is not perfect, but if you have been to as many places like this you will know that none of them are. With that in mind, I figured I would give a few positives and negatives from our experience with Nexus.

+ Food was well above average compared to most hospitals/ facilities I have been to.
+ Location to highway was very convenient.
+ Their relationship with Healthsouth next door facilitated easy transfer when my mother got to that point of her recovery.

- Lighting. All the lighting in the rooms being fluorescent gives the rooms a very cold feeling and makes them seem even smaller than they are.
- My mother is bed ridden and has very low continence, at first they refused to give her diapers until a Dr. requested them. This process had to be repeated several times when the previous request would expire.
- Overall aesthetic. The whole building comes off as mechanical and uninviting. I know it sounds like a nit-picky thing but when you are dealing with being somewhere that you would rather not be, you just sometimes wish it was more welcoming.

Overall Nexus is slightly better than most of the places we have been along Mom's road to recovery, but there is plenty of room for it to improve!

ML

Michelle Lowrey Local Guide

23 Jan 2019

This was the worst facility we’d ever been to in 5 yrs of dealing with constant care. Only send your loved one here if you want them to die. Nurses openly talk about hating their jobs and only sticking around for paychecks. It’s clear in the cleanliness of the rooms and patients. Absolutely terrible and we did involve mgmt.

SM

Scarlet MacGeorge

14 Oct 2018

Not personable at all. Not compassionate with patients. The nurses don’t update family. They make the Family feel like a bother. We’re so disappointed. I watched the employees argue with each other, nurses speaking a foreign language in front of you. This place is not run very well. It’s like a job they don’t like. Not comfortable leaving our loved one.

SB

Soph Burt

14 Sep 2018

My father in law was in the icu for a little over two months.I used to spend 3-4 hours after my day shift there and the nurses where always very accommodating to allow me in at that time. As I used to leave late they often watch me in the cameras to make sure I was getting in my car safely... I felt treated more like family. I’ve only meet the night teams so I can’t speak for everybody but they where always so nice and friendly. For what I see they really took great care of him, as an old nurse myself I was happy to see that nurses, the nurse assistants and the respiratory therapist, all had compassion and care, not once I went to visit him and found him in pain or uncomfortable or even worst dirty ... he always looked peaceful and will nod yes with a smile when asked about his care.
They always made us feel that they where looking after him and us too.
I just wanted to thank the whole icu team for making his/our stay so pleasant during such a hard time. Thank you!

SH

Sheree Holmes

29 Aug 2018

For the most part the nurses were nice. All of the CNA's were nice and took good care if my loved ones. The doctors were not at all. The few that we did see. The stay became worse after the initial first two weeks. Don't recommend it for anyone who really needs medical attention. In the shortshort 2 months I've been here there has been a few deaths. The administration is horrible in my opinion. The nurses are lazy and lie on medical records about administering medication. The brochure are not accurate. In my opinion it's not a good place unless their on hospice. The administration is worse than the staff.

RN

Richard Northcutt

3 Apr 2018

My wife was there from 29september2017 thru
26 February 2018. My wife suffered an Anoxic Brain Injury 05 July 2017
She received quality neuro therapy, PT, OT, & ST.
While there I was at my wife’s bedside continual. I am a Nurse myself and my wife’s legal guardian.

While there due to my political beliefs Nexus called the police on me three times.
Once because I said if Muslim terrorist came to my house I had plenty of ammunition for them.
Second time because I was speaking to another client there (with his mother’s permission) about guns.
On February 3 2018 I had to return home (Texarkana,TX) to bury our son. He was killed in action in Afghanistan.
I told Hospital I would return 17 February 2018.
After February 09 the hospital refused to talk to me. I continued to attempt to call them and was never allowed to speak to Nurse. Family tried to call and get updates and were refused.They would put us on hold for hours. Tell us the nurse would call us back.. I could get no information on my wife. On February 17 I returned.
They called the police on me again claiming they found ammunition in my wife’s room. Ammunition that would not fit any gun we owned.
I was banned from property by police. I asked Hospital to pack my wife up I was calling an ambulance to take her to another hospital. They refused. They called ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES on me to prevent me from moving my wife.
Her doctor told a lie on me to family and friends and APS that he had smelled alcohol on me. I have not had a drink in 20 years. I offered a hair follicle drug test . He said he did not need to do that.
They moved my wife inside hospital and refused to tell me where she was .
They forbid her sitter to sit with her. They told all family and the sitter she was “NO CONTACT” even to her children, father, and sitter.
THEY WERE HOLDING MY WIFE AGAINST HER WILL.
They refused to send her records to me. Claiming HIPPA and they had no release. I am her legal guardian!!! What HIPPA regulation would be violated? They still refused to release my wife or her records to me.
They contacted me on 21 February 2018 and told me they would give me 5 min. Information call during week days only. No information on weekends. APS cleared me of investigations on 22 February.. Nexus still refused to release my wife. THEY WERE HOLDING HER AGAINST HER WILL.
Finally on February 26 they called me and wanted permission to put my wife back on life support and transfer her to another hospital. In the nine days I was not allowed contact with my wife she went from communicating, sitting in wheelchair, very responsive to everything and everyone, no trach, stoma healed; to back on life support. My wife nearly died and I blame Nexus Specialty Hospital and John Cassidy MD for HOLDING HER AGAINST HER WILL.... They refused to release my wife until she was nearly dead.
I highly discourage anyone who is not politically correct to take their loved one here.
I have photographs of my wife that I took all throughout her stay. I can back up every single thing I say.

***************************************
Nexus please don’t give me a canned response. I know you will not contact me. I tried to contact y’all from 9 February 2018 thru 21 February 18 y’all refused to take my calls.
Even the puppet y’all had talk to me for 5 minuets a day never gave me any information on why y’all WERE HOLDING MY WIFE AGAINST HER WILL!!!!’
What y’all did to my wife and our family in my opinion borders on criminal.
I trusted John Cassidy with her life and he broke that trust and lied on me.
I will still submit to a hair follicle drug test.

KA

Keira Avila

11 Jan 2018

My father was sent here due to his hospice being affiliated with this hospital in November. PLEASE DO NOT allow your loved one to be sent here. We were unsure about him receiving care here and found our concerns to be validated the 2 days he was there. The hospital is cold, dark and has very limited, not well trained staff. The first night he was there NOTHING was done for him even though the doctor had ordered lab work and tests. The next day we find out that the doctor had requested an IV for fluids early in the morning and by 6 pm this had NOT been done. We were told that he was "not in distress" so therefore not administering fluids was not urgent. The staff was incompetent, unable to insert the needle for the IV several times. Instead of asking for someone to come and help him (the nurse) he just left the IV on the side and said "I'll come back to try again later" and never did. When we began to share our concerns, the nurse tried to cover up his failings, aware that we were very unhappy. Instead of being met with patience and understanding, we were confronted by several hospital staff that were very combative instead of trying to find resolutions. If we or my mother had not stayed with him, he would've been left alone with no care, a 91 year old man unable to communicate well. We decided to remove him from there, to which the staff tried to "convince" us to stay and that everything was "ok" without really listening to our concerns. Please do not join a hospice affiliated with this hospital or take your loved one for there for care.

RS

Robert Smith Local Guide

30 Jul 2017

My father was sent here after being in ICU. He had a terminal disease and went here for hospice. This was our only option with his condition. First impression was terrible. Place is dirty and smells! The majority of the nursing staff is cold and has no compassion or bedside manner. Me and my sisters were appalled at the lack of attention and care. If we had not slept each night there I doubt he would have received his morphine on time. We had to ask for it when it was assigned to be administered every hour. I hate that my father had to die in this place. Horrible! Go somewhere else. Michael the CEO is clueless!!!!!

FB

Farida Baliwala

24 Jul 2017

My mom was in this facility. I found that staff and management had really cooperated with us and always tried to help us in this difficult time.