The Medical Resort at Sugar Land
Reviews and Complaints

Jerdine Williams
P.O. Box 421944
Houston, TX 77242
PH: [protected]

To whom it may concern:

I am writing this letter to file a complaint against The Medical Resort at Sugar Land, located at 1803 Westcott Ave., Sugar Land, TX 77479. Their phone number is [protected].

After being discharged from the hospital on February 05, 2016, to The Medical Resort at Sugar Land for rehabilitation treatment for a total right hip replacement. I arrived there at 2:00 p.m. As I was being shown to my room by the intake nurse, Nicole; I was introduced to Dr. Ranganath Kandala and was told he would be my doctor. He shook my hand, gave me his business card and said, he would be around to see me in a few minutes, (I never saw him again the entire 12 days I was in the Medical Resort). I informed Nicole that my bloody bandage needed to be changed. I was introduced to Rebecca the wound care nurse who said she would come to my room to change the bandage – she never did. When I asked the nurse on duty to change my bandage, she said the nurses were not allowed to change bandages and that only the wound care nurse could change it and she had left for the day.
2) February 05, 2016, I was taken to a room with no pillows on the bed, no bed table, no raised toilet set and no shower chair. I was told that they would get pillows for me, but I did not receive any pillows until my son and daughter-in-law went out into the hallway and demanded a pillow for my bed. He was given two pillows and a bedside table. No raised toilet seat or shower chair.
3) I asked for one of my pain pills repeatedly and hours later I was given two Tylenols after my son refused to leave until they gave me something for pain. I asked again about my medication and was told that it was on the way. An hour later I asked again for my pain meds. The nurse said she would bring it to me- never received it. I asked again for medication for pain and Ranitidine for my acid reflux – never received. I asked for bandage to be changed again-never received. I asked for an ice pack for my hip to relieve the pain - was denied one. I remained in pain with a soiled bandage on the entire night.
4) February 06, 2016, at 8:00 a.m., I called for a nurse, no response. I went out into the hallway looking for help and to inquire as to what the procedures were since I was not told anything when I arrive and no intake had been done on me. I wanted to ask for pain medication, change of bandage and breakfast, but I was yelled at by my nurse to get back in my room and that she would come and take care of me – she never did. One hour later, I’m still asking for medication, an ice pack and for bandage to be changed – not received. Around 10:00 a.m. Elizabeth, the part-time physical therapist came to my room to access me for physical therapy. Elizabeth noticed my hip and thigh severely swollen. I explained to her that I was in severe pain and no one would give me any medication, ice pack or change my bandage and I had not been given any food to eat. Elizabeth went to inquire about getting me some breakfast and to get me an ice pack, the server came to my room and told me it was too late that everything had been put away. Before Elizabeth returned to my room, this same nurse rushed into my room yelling at me stating that I do have a nurse and she is my nurse, she is a Christian and that she told me that she would take care of me. She finally gave me one pain pill. Elizabeth put an ice pack on my hip and made sure that I received lunch. After she left I was not given my dinner or received any other care the remainder of the night. I almost fell on the floor trying to use the low toilet because my hand slipped down the rail near the toilet while trying to get off of the toilet. I asked for assistant not one responded causing more pain to be applied to my hip while trying to get off the toilet without falling completely on the floor.
5) In the afternoon of February 07, my daughter arrived and went out into the hallway and demanded a raised toilet seat, a shower chair and medication again. They finally delivered the seat and the shower chair to my room. I asked that they disinfect them and was told they had no disinfectants to use. The foot of the bed had fallen down and my son had to fix the bed while he was there visiting with me. I asked for my medication Soma for muscle spasms in my leg and hip. I wasn’t felling any better after taking the pain pill. I again asked for Soma. I was given a pill I explained to the nurse that the pill she was giving me was not Soma. The nurse said the pill was for muscle spasm and I had to take it or nothing at all. I continued to have the muscle spasms and found no relief so I had to keep asking for pain medication.
6) Monday, February 08, 2016, 8:30 a.m. Nurse LA Metra came into my room, I told her about the above. She said she could do something about the bed. She returned with Chris who states he is the Director of Environment. I told him that my son had to fix the bed because it broke down over the weekend. He basically called me a liar and said, I’m not to touch two of the buttons on the remote that operates the bed and if I needed my feet raised I needed to get out of the bed and manually pull the foot of the bed up. I explained to him that I was a hip replacement patient and that I could not bend down and pull up on the bed. I told him about the above and requested to speak to the head of nurses and the administrator. Chris told me that he would tell them because he was the one who gets everything done around there and when he speaks they will all be in my room – no one showed up. Finally, after asking for four days that someone change my bandage, Rebecca changed my bandage only for me to notice that my hip was developing infection from lack of care. I said to her that there is green and yellow stuff coming out of my wound and that couldn’t be good. Rebecca said, it’s not that bad put a bandage on it without cleaning it and said, I will see you tomorrow. Again I asked for Soma that was prescribed for the painful muscle spasms in my hip and leg. I was given this same unknown pill, so I asked the overnight nurse the name of the medication and he said “I don’t know.” I said you don’t know what you are giving me, would you please find out the name of the medication? He left and returned stating he could not pronounce the name, but it began with a “T”. I asked him if he was the nurse and he said yes. I asked him to bring the bottle to me and that’s when I realized that they were giving me Tizanidine 2mg which was prescribed for facial spasms and not the Soma 350mg that was prescribed for my hip replacement muscle spasms. The nurse said that was the only thing he could give me.
7) Tuesday, February 09, 2016, Nurse Ronda Jjemba came in to give me my medication. I explained that the pill she was trying to give me was not the right medication for the muscle spasms in my leg and she told me “you better take it because you’re not getting anything else, so take it or nothing at all.” Around 3:00 p.m. I started out of my room to go to the front office to speak with the administrator and head nurse before they would leave for the day. However, nurse Rebecca and Chris met me at the door and told me that I couldn’t go to the office and that they would handle it. Rebecca changed my bandage again, this time even more yellow and greenish discharge from the wound was evident on the bandage. When I questioned it Rebecca said, it’s not bad and covered the wound again without cleaning it. I called Dr. Goytia, my surgeon’s office and spoke with Lisa his PA who stated yes, I should be concerned and to make arrangements for the facility to bring me in to see them on Friday, February 12, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Lisa asked to speak with the nurse so that she could request that they withhold giving me the blood thinner (belly shots) until I see them. I rang for the nurse, but no one responded. I rolled out into the hallway looking for a nurse to talk with Lisa. I saw no one except Joyce a CNA who asked if I needed help. I told her what I needed and she took my phone and ran it down to the nurse’s station. The nurse had not taken the phone from her by the time I made it to the nurse’s station. The duty nurse was on the phone and Nicole who was seated next to the duty nurse asked if she could help me. I told her that my doctor wants to make a request that they withhold the blood thinner and I was waiting for the nurse to get off the phone. Nicole said, “I’m a nurse.” I said, I’m sorry I knew you did intake and Nicole said, “yes but I’m still a nurse.” I repeated to Nicole again that my doctor wants to make a request concerning my blood thinner. At that point Nicole became belligerent, yelling “your doctor don’t run anything around here and I don’t have any conversation for him. He can’t order me to do nothing and I don’t want to talk to him.” Lisa hearing this asked me to tell the nurse that she was not trying to give them an order, just a request. I did and Nicole just up from her seat waving her hands in the air rudely and arrogantly while refusing to talk with Lisa while saying “I ain’t got no conversation for your doctor and if he wants to talk with someone he need to talk to your doctor.” I reminded Nicole that I have not seen a doctor since I arrived there even though I have been asking to see one, therefore, I do know if I have one and that Lisa only want to make a request to withhold the blood thinner and we thought it would be better coming from her instead of me, the patient. Nicole yells “I ain’t got nothing to say to them and they ain’t got nothing to say to me.” I walked away in tears and asked if Lisa could help get me out of there and placed in another facility. I was told that the case worker would have to do it since I had been released from the hospital. I had been told earlier that the Medical Resort did not have a caseworker, so I notified Lisa of this and she said she would call someone at the Resort and ask them to help me.
8) Wednesday, February 10, 2016, finally the Director of Nursing, Linda Parsons, the Administrator (who quit shortly after) and Bindu Chako, Director of Rehabilitation showed up in my room asking what was going on. I told them about all of the above and how I was not receiving proper medication or care. I told them that I want to be transferred to another Rehabilitation hospital. They asked me to give them another try and they would move me to another wing that would provide better care. I very reluctantly agreed to stay if the care got better. I was immediately moved from wing 03 to wing 06. Ms. Parsons came into my room just as I was being moved in and brought me Soma for the painful spasms I have been experiencing since arriving there on February 05, 2016 (The morning shift was good on wing 06 but, it took a turn for the worst in the evenings and at night).
Ms. Parsons returned to my room a few minutes later stating she had good new – that my doctor ordered an antibiotic IV for the infection. I reminded her that I was scheduled to see Dr. Goytia, my doctor on Friday the 12th and it was odd that he would tell her that and not me when I was talking to them. She said, “I guess he thought about it and wants to head off the infection.” A few minutes later Ms. Parsons returns to my room and says “good news your doctor wants you to come in to see him on Thursday instead of Friday. Again I said that’s strange, because I thought he was in surgery on Thursdays. She said, “I guess he wants to make sure that the infection doesn’t spread too much, so he told us to give you an injection of antibiotics and start the IV when you return from seeing him on Thursday. I was given the injection. Around 11:00 p.m., I requested my pain medication and was told that I could only get it in the mornings. I explained to the nurse that was not true because I get it every night around 11:00 p.m. before going to sleep. I asked repeatedly for my pain medication all through the night and was denied any medication stating they were waiting for the doctor to call them back and that they had left three messages for the doctor. That same night I could hear patients from one room to the other, crying out “please help me” all while moaning and crying in pain.
9) Thursday, February 11, 2016, I was taken to see who I was told was my surgeon, however, when we arrived I discovered that I was not taken in to see Dr. Goytia, but some other doctor I wasn’t familiar with, a doctor Patella. I asked him if Dr. Goytia asked him to see me and he said, no a doctor from the facility I was in referred me to him. I asked Dr. Patella if he told the nurse at The Medical Resort to start me on antibiotic IV or give me the injection of antibiotics on Wednesday. Dr. Patella said, no, that he guessed it was the facility doctor. I asked Dr. Patella how can a doctor who has never seen me and has never examined me or looked at the infected incision prescribe medication for me. Dr. Patella said, he didn’t know and that I had to take that up with the facility. I called Dr. Goytia’s office informing them of what had happened, but he was in surgery (as I had told Ms. Parsons earlier). I asked if I should still keep my appointment on Friday. The nurse said yes, but let her tell the doctor what Dr. Patella did and she will let me know. The nurse returned to the phone later saying Dr. Goytia said let’s wait and see how the tourniquet turns out that Dr. Patella placed on my leg and hip.
Around 11:00 p.m., I rang for the nurse no one responded until 11: 30 p.m. I asked for my pain medication and did not receive it until 12:12 a.m., but I noticed that it was not my medication and told the nurse that I wasn’t taking it because it wasn’t my medicine. After repeatedly refusing to that the medication, the nurse checked it and realized it was Mr. Johnny Williams medication and not my medication. She had to try to locate my medication. The response time is not acceptable especially with patients with heart conditions and I take medication for my heart. The patient could have been having a heart attack and would have been dead by the time the nurse responded to the help light.
10) Saturday, February 13, 2016, 6:00 a.m. Nurse’s aide came into my room, woke me up sticking a thermometer in my mouth without a protected covering on it. I took it out and asked why didn’t she cover it and she said they were out of the protective covers. I informed her that I was aware of them sticking the thermometer under patients arms and that she should not have stuck it in my mouth (not sanitary), then she placed it under my arm.
11) Sunday, February 14, 2016, 3:40 p.m. I rang for a nurse, 3:55 p.m. a nurse’s aide answered and told me that she had been looking for a nurse and when she finds one she will tell them that I need my pain medication and send them to my room. I rang for a nurse again at 4:30 p.m., the aide said she was still looking for a nurse and seem like they had all disappeared. My granddaughter arrived and started helping the aide look for a nurse throughout the building. When my granddaughter returned she said they found only one other person in the entire building that appeared to be a nurse, but she was with another patient on another wing. At 6:00 p.m. I rang again for the nurse. The aide came in again and said looks like someone had returned because there was a medication cart now in the hallway (I saw the cart also) and she will see if she sees anyone and will tell them that I need your medication. At 6:50 p.m. still no response from a nurse. I called Linda Parsons, the Director of Nursing on her cell phone and informed her of the lack of care I was receiving. Ms. Parsons said she was in the hospital, but she would call the facility to get a nurse to my room and that she will call the regional director to get him to come out to see what’s going on. At 7:00 p.m. a nurse came into my room stating that she was from wing one, she heard the phones constantly ringing and decided to answer it. She doesn’t know where everyone was, but she would get my pain medication for me. At 9:00 p.m. Nurse La Metra, (the weekend supervisor and RN) returned stating she left to go to church at 3:00 p.m. and she didn’t know what happened with the rest of the staff.
12) Monday, February 15, 2016; at 12:45 a.m., Irma a nurse’s aide came into my room appearing to be intoxicated with a strong smell of alcohol coming from her body. I requested my discharge papers so that I could transfer to different rehabilitation hospital and was told that the hospital had to request them. Mrs. Coleman, from Park Manor at Quail Valley called and told me that she has requested my paperwork several times, but Chandra, the Discharge nurse has failed to send it to her. Around 1:00 p.m. Mrs. Coleman arrived in my room informing me that she came over to see if Chandra, the discharge nurse would give her my discharge papers and she refused stating she will fax it to her. She asked again and was denied the paperwork in person. That evening I was not given my dinner. When I asked about it I was told that it was too late and everything had been put away.
At 10:50 p.m. I requested my pain medication from Thomascina – the overnight nurse and did not receive it until 12:00 a.m. after requesting it 3 times.
13) Tuesday, February 16, 2016; at 7:10 a.m., my son called informing me that he had sent an email to the regional office on February 15, 2016 about my lack of care. The regional director just called him stating that he was 1 ½ hours away from the Medical Resort and he will talk with me to find out what’s going on and get my discharge papers ready if I want to leave. I did hear from the regional director. My son kept calling to see if he had arrived or if they had given Park Manor at Quail Valley my discharged papers and I told him no and Mrs. Coleman was still trying to get the paperwork also. Around 3:00 p.m. my son had taken off from work and arrived at the Medical Resort demanding my discharge and that is when we finally met with the regional director. I informed him of everything that had transpired and the lack of care. After asking me to stay at their facility again, he finally told the discharged nurse to send my discharge papers to Park Manor of which she continued to try not to do until my son told her that she will send my discharge papers and release me or he would have them to talk to his attorney about holding me against my wishes.
14) While waiting to leave The Medical Resort, I went out on the patio where I meet a lady telling me about how badly they were treating her husband in physical therapy and when she addressed her concerns with the Director of Physical Therapy, Bindu Chako, Ms. Chako stood up and said to her that “its not like he will ever walk again anyway!” Then she asked my name. I told her my name is Jerdine Williams and she said, “It was your medicine that they were trying to force my husband, Johnny Williams to take when I walked in. They were yelling at him to open his mouth and she asked what were they trying to give him and noticed that it wasn’t his medication” and that my name was on the medicine, so she told them they could not make him take someone else’s medicine and she hate to think what would have happened to her husband had she not walked in when she did and stop them from giving him the wrong medication.

The Medical Resort is new and has a beautiful facility, but the medical care is horribly. While there in the facility I reported them to the Houston-Galveston Area Council Ombudsman, Greg Shelly who came out to meet with me after I was moved from wing 3 to wing 6, during the noonday. Mr. Shelly toured the facility, took my concerns and told me that he would be filing a report on the facility as well as the rudeness he received when he walked in. It was because I had told Ms. Parsons that I had reported them prior to his coming out. My family and church members had opportunities to observe the rudeness and lack of care I received which lead up to my hip becoming infected due to the lack of care. To go out and look around at this facility during normal working hours is not enough. Even a child will be on its best behavior when they know they are being watched and will also be afraid to speak up for fear of repercussions. It will be a lack of care, concern and compassion for the patients who are in this facility and those who may enter this facility for you to not conduct a thorough investigation on this facility at various times of the day and night to try to prevent someone else from becoming permanently handicapped or dying in there. I am not just filing this complaint for myself, but for everyone in this facility who may not have anyone to speak up for them, may not know the difference, are afraid to speak up or for whatever the reason may be.
Someone need to become a concerned, caring voice for the disabled and the elderly. I hope you will also.
I am enclosing pictures as evident of my neglected care. I have observed the lack of care for others while I was there as well. The lack of care is there whether you witness it or not, don’t be fooled by the building. Just because doctors allegedly own it, does not make neglect impossible.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter,

I was brought to the facility Friday February 5, 2016 at 2pm after Hip Surgery. I did not see a doctor, until 2:30pm Tuesday February 9. My dressing was not changed until Saturday evening at which time the bandage was soaked with blood and smelling profusely. The hospital bed was broke on Saturday February 6 and when maintenance was called he proceeded to berate me for complaining about the fact that I could not elevate my feet above my hips as was directed. The nursing staff is not competent and often ignore my repeated requests for pain medications. After admittance on Friday, I still have not received a muscle relaxer rather, I a Tylenol on Saturday evening. I am currently seeking another facility.