A few weeks ago my husband, Walt, suffered a fall in our kitchen and hurt his back. He visited his internist, who diagnosed bruising and prescribed Tylenol and ice. 

A couple of days later he was unable to get out of bed due to the pain. We called for an ambulance to transport him to Chestnut Hill Hospital (CHH).

Upon arrival, he was met immediately and taken to an emergency room. No waiting. 

Despite an incredibly busy ER, the doctors and nurses quickly worked together to make him as comfortable as possible. It was evident they were also treating the other patients with the same professionalism and care. While an MRI revealed no back injury requiring immediate surgery, the decision was made to admit him to help mitigate the pain.

A required COVID test was positive, which was quite a shock as he had a slight cough but no other outward symptoms. The staff instituted the required protocols very efficiently and he was transported to a room where he would be quarantined. 

Our family is grateful Walt was at Chestnut Hill Hospital as he became quite ill with COVID over the next few days. He received excellent care. Everyone on the staff was professional and caring and kept me informed of his progress. Thankfully, he is now recovered from COVID. Anyone who has had a back injury knows that recovering from this type of injury will take some time and good physical therapy. 

We were so impressed with the care that Walt received at CHH that I wanted to share our experience with this gem of a community hospital, located right here in our backyard. 

Prior to Walt’s illness, I had appreciated Chestnut Hill Hospital as part of our community because of its outreach programs regarding health care practices, its medical services to our catchment area and its support of our Chestnut Hill institutions. I was pleased to learn of its acquisition by Temple Health and its partners, which took place on January 1st of this year, and bodes well for the hospital and Chestnut Hill in a number of areas including the local economy. 

Now that we have had the personal experience of really needing its services, however, we truly understand that the quality of care at Chestnut Hill Hospital is first rate across the board. We are fortunate to have this community hospital, which provides easy access to excellent local health care, as well as connections to the area’s strong academic and specialty medical institutions. 

Ideally, it will continue to grow and become an even greater part of the Philadelphia area health care system.

Kathi Clayton

Chestnut Hill