Dr. Gary Adam Gechlik, MD

When I brought my daughter to the ER, she had a dangerously high fever of almost 105, along with a sore throat, body aches, congestion, and a cough. Knowing she is a high-risk as she has an auto immune disease, I had already tested her at home for Covid, Flu A, and Flu B—all negative. Given her history of frequent strep infections, I urged the medical team to test her for strep. Dr. Gechlik ran some labs and returned with vague results, stating there was some “unknown” bacteria in her blood. He prescribed an antibiotic, and shortly after, the nurse arrived with discharge instructions, telling me the doctor diagnosed her with a urinary tract infection (UTI). Confused, I told the nurse that the doctor had never mentioned a UTI and that the symptoms didn’t match. The nurse dismissed my concerns, saying, “Well, he prescribed antibiotics, so either way, it should be covered.” That night, my daughter’s condition worsened, and the next day, Good Sam Hospital called, instructing us to return… immediately—her blood test had come back positive for strep, and she had developed sepsis. When we arrived, Dr. Gechlik met us and repeatedly said, “Nice to help you.” He insisted that he had done everything right and was glad we had returned. Frustrated, I reminded him that he had initially diagnosed her with a UTI when I had suggested testing for strep from the beginning. His dismissive attitude was infuriating, and I had to request another doctor because I no longer wanted him involved in her care.

He let us sit in the emergency room at Good Sam for 6 hours. He provided no updates except to tell us early on the surgeon was on his way. That was entirely false. Had he checked with the surgeon's office (3 miles away) he would have known the surgeon was not coming for another 5 hours. His lack on leadership was unbelievable.