Mercy Hospital (CommonSpirit/Centura) has failed the community with its outpatient services. Not only has it had at least a decade of losing good physicians/staff members, but its outpatient laboratory services are an embarrassment.

Mercy lab no longer accepts walk-in patients. So patients who are truly ill must make an appointment to schedule labs, at least a week out. An elderly gentleman was turned away after having walked – with difficulty – from the front entrance to the lab.

Someday someone will come to get lab work, be turned away, told to return in a week, then go home and have significant sequela or die because of this error.

My husband, Stephen Lipnik, and I practiced at Mercy for 10 years. Patients were seen in our office, frequently sent to lab that day and told to return within 24 hours so that we could decide on further treatment. Some of these labs were urgent because we had to be aggressive with medications because of their conditions.

To have a nonfunctioning lab is appalling for the community. Physicians struggle to care for the patients they have, let alone struggle to get lab work done.

I would suggest Mercy address this issue. Stop funneling all the funds to the “mothership.” Think out of the box, train in-house. Use rotating nurses, administrators and nursing supervisors. Get traveling nurses until this is resolved or contract with a lab company.

Find out why employees are unhappy and leaving. The accountability is yours to own.

Catherine Winchester

Bayfield