"I never felt like a number."
My name is Sal and I'm strong again thanks to the doctors at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.
For five years I dealt with severe pain from a ruptured disk and degenerative disk disease. I had tried so many methods of treatment—physical therapy, medications—eventually the condition worsened to the point where I had debilitating back pain radiating down my legs.
The turning point came in 2003. My daughters were young, only age 8 and 11, and I would have to have them stand on a chair in order to hug them goodnight. I could only watch while they were learning to ride their bikes. That's when I knew I had to do something.
Dr. John Collis operated on my older brother and two close friends of his. I'm a very well-informed consumer and let me tell you—I knew Dr. Collis was the best out there. I interviewed at least four or five other surgeons at length before choosing Dr. Collis.
What persuaded me to choose him were his bedside manner, knowledge, experience and personality. I was amazed by his sincerity and professionalism. The entire staff—from the front office through the clinical staff—was exceptional. I was amazed at the amount of personal attention and care I received. The physician's assistant alone was so thorough and spent 45 minutes with me. Dr. Collis spent one hour with me the first time I met him.
I never felt like a number. I was truly treated like an individual. Dr. Collis gave me my life back.
Blog
St. Vincent Charity Celebrates Patient Advocacy with Inaugural Kathleen Redmond Award
Last week, we concluded our National Nurses’ Week celebration by announcing the recipient of the inaugural Kathleen Redmond Educational Award. Kathleen Redmond was a nurse on 2A who died unexpectedly at the age of 27 in May 2012. Her family...[More]
St. Vincent Charity helps to raise awareness of heroin epidemic
Back in February, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center began working with WKYC’s Senior Health Correspondent, Monica Robins, on an important documentary about the heroin epidemic in Northeast Ohio. On average, four people are killed from heroin every...[More]
Health Literacy Institute at SVCMC invited to the Institute of Medicine
Karen Komondor, director of the Health Literacy Institute at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, was invited to present at the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable Workshop on Health Literacy in Washington D.C. on April 11, 2013. Karen was one of 10...[More]