Western hills is a health care center in south central Minnesota. I am proud to say that it is one of the few that was built for the purpose of serving the people of Western Hills and surrounding communities.
I have a very similar story to share from one of our recent visits to Western Hills. My husband and I visited the health center for a couple of visits over the summer. We were the only ones there that day and we walked in for a few minutes to check in with the receptionist. We had a question and she kindly explained the services and the hours of operation for the center. We left the center and headed back to the car park for the trip home.
It turns out that I’m not the only one who noticed that some of the people in the health center were quite rude. One of the staff members told one of the people that there is no smoking in our area and that they should stop calling themselves a health center for health reasons. When we said that we didn’t smoke, the woman in the office called to tell us that there was no smoking or vaping allowed in our area. Our question was rhetorical.
The health center is one of the few facilities on the west coast that has the ability to test for all sorts of things that we have no idea about. We’ve heard of asthma and diabetes, but not heart attacks or cancer. It’s possible that someone in the health center was asking for us to test for something and was being rude and insulting. When we asked about it, another staff member told us that there was no smoking allowed in the hospital.
Yes, there is smoking allowed in the hospital.
No smoking allowed in the hospital is, of course, the most absurd thing to say we have ever heard. Smoking is the number one cause of preventable hospitalization and death in the country, and you can’t just say it’s not smoking.
What the hospital employee said was false. The hospital was fine when we were there, and we would have been able to test for a number of serious illnesses that come with smoking. It’s a small town, the health care center is a very small town. Smoking is a serious health issue and a health care worker would never say it’s not a good idea.
I am so glad that we have this small town, because it is important to note that I think it is a good thing that hospitals in small towns are allowed to operate without the need to have doctors and nurses coming from large cities to do their jobs. There is nothing inherently wrong with a small town, but with a larger metropolitan hospital, there is a huge difference in the care in which people are discharged and the care they get later on.
But I have a good news and a bad news. The good news is that in western hills, the hospital is one of the best in New England. It is also one of the most affordable, since the hospital is located on the very same street where my parents live. The bad news is that the hospital is also far from the most popular destination for visitors.
I know this from personal experience. I know of many people who visit the hospital but don’t stay long. I also know of many other people who visit the hospital but stay more than a day or two. But the difference is that the hospital in western hills is more affordable and more pleasant.
