Andrea Lays, Grand Forks, letter: Altru delivers ‘exceptional patient care’

GRAND FORKS — As a physician but more important a patient at Altru Health System, I am saddened and frustrated with the recent negative commentary concerning patient care at Altru.

We are lucky to have a health care facility that strives to put patient care at the forefront of its mission.

I have been so impressed by the exceptional patient care that I and my family have received at Altru. For example, my mother-in-law became gravely ill with liver disease two years ago. She was hospitalized at a respected hospital in the Chicago area. She was given a life-saving surgery.

Initially, her recovery was so good that she was transferred to a nearby rehab center. But over the course of the next three weeks, she became progressively weaker and short of breath.

When we raised these concerns with her physician, he reassured us that she was “doing great.” We disagreed.

My husband and I checked her out of their rehab and drove her 700 miles to be admitted at Altru. She received excellent care here.

During her hospital admission, 90 pounds of excess fluid was removed from her lungs, legs and body.

Once she had recovered some her strength, she was transferred to Valley Eldercare Center adjoining Altru. She again received exceptional care. The staff took a personal interest in her recovery, and it gave her the motivation to work hard to get well again.

Once discharged from Valley Eldercare, she moved in with us and received excellent home care from nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists. She now is back home in Chicago and living independently.

She, too, is thankful for the great care she received at Altru through all facets of her long recovery.

It is this personalized service that makes Altru stand out as an exceptional health care facility. In fact, Altru has been recognized as being in the top 5 percent of health care facilities in the nation.

We are fortunate to have such a diamond in our local community as Altru.

Andrea Lays

Dr. Lays is an obstetrician/gynecologist at Altru.

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