ECMC Mental Health Downtown Clinic 1st Floor - Buffalo (NY)

3 /5 Hannah Mitchell 1: not an ideal circumstance, but the nurse i first encountered treated me like a human and gave me water and a granola bar so shout out to him! After that things went a bit down hill, i had to sleep in what was essentially a cold dorm for most of the night with no updates about whether or when i would be let go. Thankfully I was released around 6:45 am but the whole situation was still very stressful.

5 /5 Lindsey: Phenomenal in every aspect- the counselors, groups, doctors, nurses, front desk ladies and anyone else I’m missing, all provide above average, high quality service. I started out in crisis at this clinic 2 years ago after receiving (equally as wonderful) treatment at the grider clinic. My life has completely transformed and is manageable now, and I have not a single complaint about this clinic in those 2 years.

1 /5 Chris Heiderich: I had one of the worst experiences while I was a client on the mental health floor at the hospital. I was put in a dorm with about 50 other clients. The attending aides there have extremely poor caring attitudes, very neglecting, vulgar language, mentally abusive, seemed like they were only there for their paychecks! The Dr which straight out told me that I didnt have mental health issues when I was going through one of my toughest times of my life! I was diagnosed with PTSD because of the mental health providers at ECMC! There were just so many negative aspects about the mental health ward! I wonder where the some of these so called professional people get their degrees at. I also wonder where they get these aides within the mental health field in the hospital. If I could give the mental health unit 0 stars, I absolutely would but, the lowest rating there is, is one star. Congratulations! They get one star!

1 /5 Gary: no nurse would help me i just sat on the chair for 46 hours. i heard my nurse telling a story and it was very vulgar and inappropriate. i didnt feel safe so i asked to speak to an officer and the nurse said OK but 2 hours later after asking her, she lied and said something different. in my opinion they just steal the insurance money. The one nurse guy with a shaved head to kinda looks like Tom Segura, hes pure evil and will only help women there that he finds attractive. i still feel traumatized from being there it was a horrific experience. Can’t stop having nightmares every single night since being there, i sleep a few hours and wake up covered in sweat every few hours the nightmares are always about the evil nurses at ECMC torturing me and my family. They would of kept me in there much longer if i didnt smash the phone and scream “ i feel unsafe” while crying my eyes out. once transferred to Brylin, i had a good experience and was treated human again. ive been praying non stop to Jesus that he sends those evil ECMC nurses to Hell for eternity. They still have my coat and sneakers but im too scared to even attempt to get them back. i beg you, DO NOT send your loved one here. Go to Brylin they are atleast caring human beings. At ECMC they don’t even try because they know they can’t get fired because of the nursing shortage. They could message me back on this forum but they won’t because they have zero respect for the mentally ill. Its not even that they’re busy its that they simply don’t care.

1 /5 Erin Ahearn: Do not go here if you want to be treated with respect and dignity. I went here for a medication issue and the doctor, Dr.Bakhai, treated me poorly. My experience up to seeing him was relatively pleasant so it’s a shame that everyone else in the clinic is friendly and kind. Upon sitting down with Dr.Bakhai, he immediately began what felt like an interrogation. Again, I understand the boundaries and purpose of an emergent need outpatient clinic, but people should still be treated with respect. There was a student in the room during my appointment and when the doctor started grilling me with questions, I became wildly uncomfortable, anxious, and almost started crying immediately. If people are there for a crisis or a need with medication, they surely should not be treated this poorly. Dr.Bakhai rolled his eyes and laughed upon hearing the medication I am on and have been on for years. I have been a part of behavioral health services both in a professional and personal capacity for roughly 8 years now and I have never been seen by someone who lacks so much basic human decency. An appointment for meds when already in a fragile state should NOT feel like an interrogation and it is NOT trauma informed to make people feel this way. Whether Dr.Bakhai is overworked, underpaid, or just does not enjoy his job is not the fault of the patients he sees, and he should not be treating them as such. I would rather end up in the ED and inpatient treatment than EVER utilize this clinic again in my life. Maybe this clinic should revisit their mission statement, purpose, and do some trainings instead of sending people off worse than they arrived. It is insane to me that an MD, regardless of if they are a psychiatrist or not, would make people feel so awful or demand someone to answer rapid fire questions when they are already feeling so low. Beware if you need to go to this clinic that this may be your experience. It is not the fault of the patient that the doctors only have a short amount of time, they still should not be making people feel so unheard or traumatized. If I could give this clinic a 0/10 I absolutely would.