~provided by Greene County Medical Center
Margaret Martens and her husband, Pastor Dennis Martens of Trinity Lutheran Church, have only lived in Jefferson for about six years, but Margaret has had numerous experiences at Greene County Medical Center. She said no matter the department or her perspective, quality shined through.
She pointed to exceptional patient care and caring attitudes as constants. “Everybody’s so friendly walking through the hallways. I thought about your slogan, Always Here, Always Caring, and that’s been my experience. You’re available 24 hours a day and we can come here and know we will be cared for. Quite frankly, you’re good at what you do,” Margaret added. “The quality of care is what prompted me to speak up. I’ve been impressed by every single person, from walking in the door and the person that greets you to even those who are not interacting with you on the medical level.”
After only being in Jefferson a couple of weeks, Dennis wasn’t feeling well on a Sunday. After his sermon, he contacted his sister, a nurse. She told him it sounded like his appendix and Margaret got him to the Greene County Medical Center emergency room right away. He had an appendectomy that afternoon. In addition, Dennis had a knee replacement done in Jefferson. Margaret is thankful for all that was done for both of them. “I thought the care he received was just great, and everyone treated me so kindly,” she said. “It was also convenient to be able to stop in the room on my way to and from work and stay with him. His physical therapy was right here too, and I love that.”
Margaret has seen the quality of care first-hand as a patient as well. In October of 2020, she began vomiting—a lot. She made an urgent care appointment in another town, but Dennis knew she needed to be seen locally, telling her she would not make it there as frequently as she was vomiting. “He said he was taking me to the ER. It was so wonderful to get into a room right away and the nurses were so prepared for whatever was needed. The doctor gave me a Covid test, even though these were unusual symptoms, and it was tracked back to that. Overall, I just felt so cared for there.”
A consistent experience is what Margaret has had, from routine testing to the walk-in clinic. During a colonoscopy, she shared with her care team she didn’t handle needles well. “I got very light headed and the nurse was just wonderful. She was so caring and knew what to do to get me to stay conscious until I was intentionally unconscious.”
And for Margaret, the convenience of the walk-in clinic is all in the name as she, literally, walks by on her way to and from work. “One morning recently, I had developed a rash on my face and it was getting worse. It was growing and it had actually gone into my earlobe. It was terribly itchy and it burned, it was just the worst thing, so I was concerned,” she said. “I said I am just going to stop in, and it was fortunate I did.” Margaret had developed cellulitis of the face and was told it could have spread to her eye and potentially reached her brain. “It was very important that I had stopped in and I was so glad to get instantaneous relief that day.”
Martens said all of the options available at Greene County Medical Center, the Family Medicine Clinic and the specialty clinics are invaluable to our local communities. It’s nice to not have to travel somewhere else for these services, Margaret said, and the quality of what they do comes alive in that vision of being Always Here, Always Caring.
