Elkhart General Home Care

Pros

• Several of the RN nurses were wonderful.
• The doctors have been great.
• NP Jennifer Potter is an amazing medical professional.
• Devlin has been a true rock star.
• The nurses were wonderful.
• The staff were excellent and friendly.
• The care provided was A+.

Cons

• Dr. Mark Canner is described as a bully with arrogance and no bedside manner.
• A physician is described as dismissive, accusing the patient of pill shopping and glaring at the patient's mother.
• The ER is described as overcrowded, with front-desk staff requiring patients to state their symptoms before triage.
• A nurse reportedly dismissed a patient with chest pains and breathing difficulties, including a patient with mental health issues.
• Preceptors are criticized for horrible bedside manners, and a patient was yelled at for needing help.
• There are claims of delayed or denied emergency treatment, with patients waiting hours and names being crossed off the list.
• The hospital staff is seen as overworked due to 12-hour shifts, impacting patient care.
• Inpatient care is criticized for lacking basic hygiene and amenities (towels, sheets changes, etc.).
• Some reviewers state they would not recommend inpatient care at this hospital and would drive to another facility.

Review

A chorus of patient experiences paints a troubling picture of this hospital, mixing moments of kindness and professional care with persistent concerns about arrogance, crowded conditions, and a system that seems to struggle under the weight of high demand. One reviewer singles out a specific physician, Dr. Mark Canner, describing him as a bully who lacks bedside manner and who treated the patient as if they were seeking pills rather than seeking help. The impression is made even stronger by the contrast with other staff members who, in the same facility, are praised for their competence and warmth. The emotional impact of that encounter lingers: the patient recalls the stare directed at them and their mother, and the sense that their concerns about a chronic condition - temporal lobe seizures - were dismissed or misjudged rather than addressed with care.

The emergency department, in particular, emerges as a place of overstretched resources and frustrating delays. Several accounts describe an environment where the front desk requires patients to articulate their symptoms before even beginning the triage process, creating a feeling of being reduced to a checkbox rather than being heard as a person in need. One patient recounts arriving with alarming heart attack symptoms only to be kept waiting for hours, with the waiting room full and the hallway of care seeming just out of reach. The repeated refrain is that urgent complaints - breathing difficulties, chest pain, severe abdominal pain - were not promptly acknowledged or treated, and the patient ultimately left because the wait became intolerable. The sentiment that the ER can feel like a "death trap" is not rare in this set of reviews, and some readers point to alternative facilities - such as Goshen Hospital - in search of a more reliable level of attention.

Inside the hospital, the inpatient experience is a mosaic of mixed messages. A number of registered nurses are described as wonderful and caring, offering empathy and competence that makes a real difference in a patient's day. Yet these positive notes are interwoven with sharp criticisms of preceptors and some other staff members who fail to provide timely assistance, fail to document information, or respond with hostility. One patient with a partial bowel obstruction describes a long vigil of being left alone, with a nurse who disappears for hours and a preceptor who yells when help is requested to unplug medical cords or to adjust room temperature. The feeling of being left to manage on one's own, while medical teams juggle a heavy workload, contributes to a perception of neglect that undermines otherwise capable medical care. The day-to-day realities - old gowns, lack of towel service, untended sheets, and inconsistent personal attention - are also cited as erosion points in the patient experience.

Pain management and comfort are recurring points of contention. In one particularly jarring anecdote, an overnight request for pain relief yields something described as "pure alcohol packs" to inhale, a method that shocks the sense of standard medical care and safety. The patient's stark reaction - "Not kidding. They are trash" - captures a broader concern about whether comfort measures are delivered safely and appropriately, not just quickly. Alongside this, there is a broader critique of basic clinical hospitality: towels, showers, and routinely offered care are reported as insufficient, suggesting a hospital culture where the fundamental needs of patients in distress can be overlooked amidst the clinical priorities of diagnosis and procedure.

From the administrative and logistics side, there are stories of disorganization and emphasis on non-clinical concerns over patient well-being. One patient reports arriving by ambulance with severe abdominal symptoms, only to have staff first obtain insurance information and then leave the patient waiting in pain for a long period before any meaningful intervention; even a simple x-ray takes time, and empathy seems scarce during the most urgent moments. The experience is compounded by what is described as curt or condescending behavior from front-d desk staff about rides home and other logistical needs, which magnifies the sense that patients are not being treated as allies in their own care. In contrast, there are small signs of relief thanks to a compassionate support aide who helps with a pillow and warm blanket - a reminder that kindness can exist even in stressed environments.

Despite the negative experiences, there are clear beams of praise for individuals who embody high standards of care. A recurring thread is the praise for specific clinicians who went above and beyond: a male nurse named Devlin described as a "rock star," offering patience, information, and proactive communication that helped families navigate a difficult situation. NP Jennifer Potter earns acclaim for identifying an issue that other doctors had dismissed, using a straightforward test to reach a correct diagnosis and guiding the patient toward the necessary imaging. Other staff - whether doctors or assorted nurses - are singled out as providing excellent, friendly, and attentive care, contributing to a sense that the hospital can be capable of extraordinary professional performance when the right people are at the patient's side.

Taken together, the collection of experiences reveals a hospital where compassion and competence can coexist with frustration and fear. The positive stories - about empathetic nurses, skilled doctors, and moments of genuine help - are heartening and meaningful for those who encountered them. Yet the negative accounts underscore systemic issues: overcrowding, long waits, inconsistent bedside manner, exhausted staff, and gaps in basic patient comfort and dignity. The recurring recommendations urge attention to patient safety and rights, with some suggesting formal channels like EMTALA complaints when patients feel their urgent needs have been inadequately addressed. In the end, the hospital emerges as a complex landscape: capable and caring when the right people and systems align, but frequently beset by structural problems that leave some patients feeling ignored or devalued.

Physicians

• Heart City Health Center (0.7 miles)
• Elkhart General Center-Behavioral: Taylor David MD (1.3 miles)
• Family Practice Associates (1.3 miles)
• Steven A. Hanberg, MD - Beacon Medical Group Internal Medicine Osolo Road (1.3 miles)
• Mary Alice Reid MD (1.5 miles)
• Bristol Street Pediatric Associates (1.5 miles)
• Community Occupational Medicine (1.8 miles)

Restaurants

• Penguin Point (0.9 miles)
• Hacienda Mexican Restaurant (1.7 miles)
• Vanilla Bean Creamery (2 miles)
• Adam's Cake Shop (2 miles)
• El Rosal (2.1 miles)
• McDonald's (2.1 miles)
• Michaels Bar (2.3 miles)

Parks

• Studebaker Park (1.3 miles)
• Island Park (2 miles)
• McNaughton Park (3.2 miles)
• Robert L Nelson Dog Park (5.4 miles)
• Shanklin Park (9.1 miles)

Pharmacies

• Martin's Drive-thru Pharmacy (1.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.5 miles)
• Martin's Pharmacies (3.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.6 miles)
• Walgreens (4.1 miles)

Hospitals

• Elkhart General Hospital (1.9 miles)

Transportation

• Amtrak - Elkhart Station (2 miles)
• Elkhart Municipal Airport (EKM) (EKI) (4.2 miles)

Places of Worship

• First Baptist Church of Elkhart (2.6 miles)
• New Life Christian Center (8.8 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (3.5 miles)
• Biggby Coffee (3.5 miles)
• Cock-A-Doodle Cafe (4 miles)
• Panera Bread (4.3 miles)
• George's Cafe (8.9 miles)

Theaters

• Linway Plaza Cinema (8.4 miles)