Mercy San Juan Hospital review: Patient safety

I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding the circumstances surrounding my son’s discharge from your hospital after a five day stay in the Trauma Unit (5th floor) for pancreatitis in December 2025. What occurred was not only inappropriate—it was unsafe, unacceptable, and far below the standard of care any patient should receive.

After being transferred from the ER to the Trauma Unit and treated for pancreatitis, my son was discharged without any physical assistance or formal process. A nurse briefly informed him that he was released and then left the room. No one returned to provide discharge instructions, confirm his readiness to leave, or escort him out. He waited 45 minutes for any staff member to return before finally gathering his belongings and attempting to leave on his own.

Because the call buttons consistently went unanswered throughout his stay, he did not attempt to use them again. Instead, after five days of being bed bound and receiving morphine and Dilaudid, he struggled to get out of bed unassisted, packed his pillow, fan, toiletries, and two duffel bags, and made his way out of the hospital alone. He was allowed—and effectively required—to walk from the 5th floor to the main entrance while carrying multiple items, without a wheelchair, without an escort, and without any support whatsoever.

He received no meaningful post care instructions beyond a few comments made earlier in his stay. Given his weakened condition, dizziness, and the effects of heavy pain medication, expecting him to navigate hallways and elevators alone was entirely unreasonable and posed a clear fall risk. When I arrived to pick him up, he was already standing outside the hospital with all of his belongings—alone and visibly unstable.

This situation created unnecessary danger and demonstrated a troubling disregard for basic discharge protocols and patient safety. A patient in his condition should never have been permitted to leave his room unassisted, let alone the hospital.

I want to be very clear: this should never have happened. My son deserved a safe, supported discharge process, and your staff had a responsibility to ensure it.

I am not seeking a response or any specific action on my behalf. My purpose in reporting this is to ensure that this lapse in care is acknowledged and corrected so that no future patient is placed at similar risk during discharge.

And why is it SO HOT AND STUFFY in your building. It was December and I was dripping sweat in a tank top in your building and so was my son. Cool it down.