Dr. Jack Foster Ditty, MD

Do NOT entrust your care or the care of your loved one to "Ditty". He seems equipped to handle run of the mill things but is out of his depth due to personality traits that make it difficult for him to listen to anyone other than his own ego. I wonder who made this guy this way... Staff were way off base with their read on the situation and seemed miffed that the EMS wanted to avoid this hospital and take him to Mission, where my son was seen last night in the ER. It was The Haywood and Ditty Show and we were not welcomed guests as I challenged protocol and his disrespect and disregard (as any good mama bear is want to do) You could tell that other doctors there are aware of the dynamics but Ditty has an "in". Fascinating. My son seemed to go into anaphylactic shock and was stabilized in the ambulance by an amazing paramedic, Josh, who will probably get reamed for wanting to skip over Haywood at my request. They SHOULD give that guy a raise. By the time we arrived, my son hadn't… eaten or had anything to drink all day and had been on lots of medication that can dehydrate you faster. Ditty forced me to validate my request for fluids despite filling him in on our Mission ER visit the previous night (where he received fluids because blood tests showed he was dehydrated). I failed that test. No one brought us anything to sit on (i need an early hip replacement due to undiagnosed genetic disorder and comorbidities - complex case not fit for a place like Haywood/Ditty). Ditty didn't care. He continued to move around the ER, chatting, loudly discussing patient history and next steps as one does when the ego is bruised. He gave my son ice water which I told him NOT to do as temperature changes worsened my son's reaction (mast cell-ish). Ditty obviously didn't want to hear me anymore so he directed all questions to my husband and ignored me completely. Until I put myself in his line of sight with all the fake politeness I could muster to tell him that my son is high-functioning autistic and that is why I speak for him and clarify and that he should look at me when I speak and hear what I am saying. I am the one that oversees my child's care while dad has to work and travel. He saw that my son was swelling again (atypical reaction, like I told him from the start). I confronted him in front of his staff and he was not able to maintain himself. Neither was some of his staff. Whew I could go on but hopefully you get the gist. I do not doubt that Haywood Regional has some fantastic doctors and staff. I do not doubt that Ditty has some redeeming qualities. But it is utterly apparent that he thinks he is better than he truly is and he's surrounded himself with people that feed into that because those people also need some ego-feeding. Hey, Ditty, you left a lot of the paperwork blank and they don't respect you over here either. Grow up. I have no doubt that you could if only you would strive to see. And admit when you are unsure. And talk to the advocate or physician the patients mother is trying to connect you with. I do hope you realize that they learn more and more every day and rigidity will never serve you and your patients. But for now, I will share our story so other families do not go through this and worse. We're at the peds unit at Mission now and everything had been completely different. They gave him fluids and I didn't even have to request. They ALSO gave him a drink and watched him for his reaction and documented it. They checked on him regularly. They checked on me. They treated me with respect and recognized my state for what it was and reacted appropriately. Dr. Monohan-Estes is fantastic and I do recommend her wholeheartedly. Ps - there's a new policy that EMS cannot bypass an ER and cherry pick. If you are stable, drive where you think the best care will be. Plan accordingly. Complain. Put pressure on these giant entities to re-humanize standardized care and help truly gifted healers stay at the top. Maybe help o

Met this doc at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, NC when my husband had a sudden heart attack. After he stopped CPR, I felt my husband's heart beating and asked him to place his hand on my husband's chest. He actually got angry at me in front of other hospital staff. My husband died. Everyone was very kind except this person who was cold and completely uncaring. His attitude was in stark contrast to all other hospital staff's. He lacks empathy, kindness and even minimal courtesy. He absolutely needs to be banned from having contact with families. He is not qualified as a human being.