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Veteran Recommends PRMC
Kevin Sanders, Veteran shares his personal experience of being treated at Palmdale, what stood out to him about the level of care offered, and the different ways Palmdale supports Veterans.
Featured Speaker:
Kevin Sanders
Kevin Sanders, local businessman - Made to Order company that sells gifts and giveaways to many local companies. Former Marine. Huge supporter of veterans and veterans' needs. Transcription:
Veteran Recommends PRMC
Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome. In today’s patient testimonial, we have Kevin Sanders. He’s a local businessman, made to order company that sells gifts and giveaways to many local companies. He’s a Marine veteran and a huge supporter of veterans and veteran’s needs. Kevin, what a pleasure to have you with us today. Tell us a little bit about your experience at Palmdale Regional. What brought you there? Tell us your story.
Kevin Sanders, Veteran (Guest): Well, actually, I had two opportunities to go there. Both were in the ER when I had an accident, and I had very serious injuries, and they took excellent care of me, above and beyond what I expect, and they were just very professional. I really was cleaned (00:55), and what struck me most, I think was that the employees were happy doing their job, and I think that’s a reflection on the management and the supervisors at Palmdale Regional, and the second, I had a dog bite on my hand, and they were—I went to another place first, and it was going to take three or four hours before they could even get in to see me, and at Palmdale Regional, I was in in probably 20 minutes or 30 minutes. They assessed it. They took care of it. They gave me stitches, and they were fast and efficient, and everything was clean and proper and just above and beyond what I would expect from something like that.
Host: What in particular stood out about the care you received and the way that it was provided?
Kevin: Again, they were very professional and courteous. They were friendly; made me feel comfortable even though I was in pretty, pretty severe pain, especially on the shoulder injury, and they had the latest equipment. They had a system of how to go through it and just took me through that system, and I was impressed with that.
Host: You’ve been a very involved member of the Antelope Valley community for decades. What do you hear from people regarding Palmdale Regional?
Kevin: I’ve asked more often veterans, just people—regular people, and always, always always, I always hear good things. When I see Palmdale Regional employees out at the grocery store or out in public, and they have a uniform on or something that signifies that they work there, I ask them, “How do you like working there; are you happy, and you know, how do they treat you?” Always, the employees always say that they’re happy, and they love their job, and they’re glad that they work there. That’s a good sign. That’s a real good sign because you don’t often hear that about other places.
Host: Well, you certainly don’t, and it is a good sign. Now as a fact, Kevin, you’re an expert on service. What examples of excellent service did you experience at Palmdale, and are you aware of some ways that Palmdale Regional supports area veterans?
Kevin: Well, on the first part, again, the excellent service that was—that they treated me quickly, that they assessed me quickly also. They had great equipment. Their rooms were clean, and they had everything they need to do what they needed to do to do their job. That was my experience. As far as supporting—Palmdale Regional supporting local veterans, there’s an organization here that’s building 56 homes for veterans. I’ve seen Julie, herself, Julie Montague and the staff out there building brick walls and carrying materials and doing things like that. That’s one way, but the board of—the chairman of the board is Rick Norris. He’s a Vietnam-era Marine, and he’s out often supporting the veterans and in different activities that we do, and that’s really important, I think, to be seen as supporting your local community.
Host: Have you spoken with other veterans about Palmdale Regional? What do they have to say?
Kevin: Oh, the same thing. Given a choice, given a choice without a doubt all the veterans that I’ve talked to would rather go to Palmdale Regional than to another medical facility here. Also, they would rather go to Palmdale Regional if they could, if they have a choice, than to go to the VA, for example. There’s a local clinic here that doesn’t provide near the same levels of service that Palmdale Regional does. Everyone I talk to—if they have a choice, they would go to Palmdale Regional first.
Host: What a wonderful testimonial as we wrap up, Kevin. Who was the difference maker for you?
Kevin: Well, I’ve gotten to know the CEO Dick Allen, and I’ve known Rick Norris for a long, long time—many years. He’s the Marine veteran, the board chairman. Those—I think, I think with the CEO having a Marine on his staff, also a Marine as his board chairman, it makes a big, big difference because he’s able to involve the veterans more, to get feedback from the veterans, and it goes direct right up to the CEO, and I see Dick Allen and Rick Norris out in public from time to time, and they’re supporting local businesses. They’re supporting veterans, and that makes a big difference, and always, I believe that leadership, you know, starts at the top, but it filters down through the employees, the staff, the medical people, in this case, and that—that attitude of taking care of the patients first is what’s most important, and that makes a big difference for me, but the number one person that I feel strongest about is Julie Montague, the director of marketing. She’s also out there all the time at community events, at shows and fairs and things like that, and that’s the people that—she is the person that people, the public sees as the face of Palmdale Regional Medical Center, and so—she’s cheerful and polite, and people give her questions or tell her about—I’ve seen people come up with a complaint for example: I didn’t get this or I need something different with my medication—and she’ll take that complaint back to the hospital and make it good. Make it right, and that’s the difference right there.
Host: What would you like the listeners to take away from this podcast about your feelings for Palmdale Regional Medical Center and your experiences there?
Kevin: I would say that they have top-notch care. They have state of the art facility. They’re often expanding. I know from conversations with the management that they are always looking to do better. Always looking to be a better facility, provide better care, more options, things like that, and so, if you have to pick somewhere to go for medical care, I fully, from my heart, I recommend Palmdale Regional.
Host: Thank you so much, Kevin, for joining us today. What a lovely tribute and that was a patient testimonial on Palmdale Regional Radio with Palmdale Regional Medical Center. You can get more information at palmdaleregional.com. If you found this podcast inspiring, please share on your social channels and share with your friends and family in the community. Until next time, I’m Melanie Cole.
Veteran Recommends PRMC
Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome. In today’s patient testimonial, we have Kevin Sanders. He’s a local businessman, made to order company that sells gifts and giveaways to many local companies. He’s a Marine veteran and a huge supporter of veterans and veteran’s needs. Kevin, what a pleasure to have you with us today. Tell us a little bit about your experience at Palmdale Regional. What brought you there? Tell us your story.
Kevin Sanders, Veteran (Guest): Well, actually, I had two opportunities to go there. Both were in the ER when I had an accident, and I had very serious injuries, and they took excellent care of me, above and beyond what I expect, and they were just very professional. I really was cleaned (00:55), and what struck me most, I think was that the employees were happy doing their job, and I think that’s a reflection on the management and the supervisors at Palmdale Regional, and the second, I had a dog bite on my hand, and they were—I went to another place first, and it was going to take three or four hours before they could even get in to see me, and at Palmdale Regional, I was in in probably 20 minutes or 30 minutes. They assessed it. They took care of it. They gave me stitches, and they were fast and efficient, and everything was clean and proper and just above and beyond what I would expect from something like that.
Host: What in particular stood out about the care you received and the way that it was provided?
Kevin: Again, they were very professional and courteous. They were friendly; made me feel comfortable even though I was in pretty, pretty severe pain, especially on the shoulder injury, and they had the latest equipment. They had a system of how to go through it and just took me through that system, and I was impressed with that.
Host: You’ve been a very involved member of the Antelope Valley community for decades. What do you hear from people regarding Palmdale Regional?
Kevin: I’ve asked more often veterans, just people—regular people, and always, always always, I always hear good things. When I see Palmdale Regional employees out at the grocery store or out in public, and they have a uniform on or something that signifies that they work there, I ask them, “How do you like working there; are you happy, and you know, how do they treat you?” Always, the employees always say that they’re happy, and they love their job, and they’re glad that they work there. That’s a good sign. That’s a real good sign because you don’t often hear that about other places.
Host: Well, you certainly don’t, and it is a good sign. Now as a fact, Kevin, you’re an expert on service. What examples of excellent service did you experience at Palmdale, and are you aware of some ways that Palmdale Regional supports area veterans?
Kevin: Well, on the first part, again, the excellent service that was—that they treated me quickly, that they assessed me quickly also. They had great equipment. Their rooms were clean, and they had everything they need to do what they needed to do to do their job. That was my experience. As far as supporting—Palmdale Regional supporting local veterans, there’s an organization here that’s building 56 homes for veterans. I’ve seen Julie, herself, Julie Montague and the staff out there building brick walls and carrying materials and doing things like that. That’s one way, but the board of—the chairman of the board is Rick Norris. He’s a Vietnam-era Marine, and he’s out often supporting the veterans and in different activities that we do, and that’s really important, I think, to be seen as supporting your local community.
Host: Have you spoken with other veterans about Palmdale Regional? What do they have to say?
Kevin: Oh, the same thing. Given a choice, given a choice without a doubt all the veterans that I’ve talked to would rather go to Palmdale Regional than to another medical facility here. Also, they would rather go to Palmdale Regional if they could, if they have a choice, than to go to the VA, for example. There’s a local clinic here that doesn’t provide near the same levels of service that Palmdale Regional does. Everyone I talk to—if they have a choice, they would go to Palmdale Regional first.
Host: What a wonderful testimonial as we wrap up, Kevin. Who was the difference maker for you?
Kevin: Well, I’ve gotten to know the CEO Dick Allen, and I’ve known Rick Norris for a long, long time—many years. He’s the Marine veteran, the board chairman. Those—I think, I think with the CEO having a Marine on his staff, also a Marine as his board chairman, it makes a big, big difference because he’s able to involve the veterans more, to get feedback from the veterans, and it goes direct right up to the CEO, and I see Dick Allen and Rick Norris out in public from time to time, and they’re supporting local businesses. They’re supporting veterans, and that makes a big difference, and always, I believe that leadership, you know, starts at the top, but it filters down through the employees, the staff, the medical people, in this case, and that—that attitude of taking care of the patients first is what’s most important, and that makes a big difference for me, but the number one person that I feel strongest about is Julie Montague, the director of marketing. She’s also out there all the time at community events, at shows and fairs and things like that, and that’s the people that—she is the person that people, the public sees as the face of Palmdale Regional Medical Center, and so—she’s cheerful and polite, and people give her questions or tell her about—I’ve seen people come up with a complaint for example: I didn’t get this or I need something different with my medication—and she’ll take that complaint back to the hospital and make it good. Make it right, and that’s the difference right there.
Host: What would you like the listeners to take away from this podcast about your feelings for Palmdale Regional Medical Center and your experiences there?
Kevin: I would say that they have top-notch care. They have state of the art facility. They’re often expanding. I know from conversations with the management that they are always looking to do better. Always looking to be a better facility, provide better care, more options, things like that, and so, if you have to pick somewhere to go for medical care, I fully, from my heart, I recommend Palmdale Regional.
Host: Thank you so much, Kevin, for joining us today. What a lovely tribute and that was a patient testimonial on Palmdale Regional Radio with Palmdale Regional Medical Center. You can get more information at palmdaleregional.com. If you found this podcast inspiring, please share on your social channels and share with your friends and family in the community. Until next time, I’m Melanie Cole.