A New Hampshire woman who visited an urgent care clinic for treatment of an asthma attack was left stunned when she discovered that the entire staff had gone home for the night, leaving her locked inside the building.
Tia Chandler, 46, had been waiting in an examination room at ConvenientMD in Keene when she realized something was seriously wrong.
No nurses. No doctors. No one answering her calls for help.
What started as a routine medical visit on September 24 ended with Chandler panicking, texting her husband and calling 911 to escape the empty clinic.
The bizarre ordeal began around 7:45 p.m., when Chandler arrived at the ConvenientMD location on Winchester Street seeking relief from asthma symptoms.
According to Chandler, a medical employee administered a steroid injection and assured her that someone would return shortly.
She remained in the examination room, patiently waiting for further instructions.
But the minutes kept passing.
By approximately 8:10 p.m., Chandler began wondering why nobody had returned. She initially assumed employees were busy finishing up with other patients.
The clinic’s normal closing time is 8 p.m., but Chandler never imagined the workers would lock the doors and leave while she was still waiting.
Eventually, she stepped into the hallway and called out for assistance.
“Hello? Hello?” she recalled shouting during an interview with WMUR.
When nobody answered, she made her way toward the front of the building, expecting to find at least a few employees cleaning or preparing to close.
Instead, the entire clinic appeared deserted.
Chandler said the realization quickly turned her confusion into panic.
She immediately contacted her husband, telling him she had been locked inside and asking him to call 911.
Chandler also attempted to leave through one of the building’s doors, triggering the clinic’s security alarm.
She then contacted emergency services herself.
Keene police confirmed that officers responded to the incident.
The experience left Chandler shaken, particularly because she had visited the medical facility seeking help for a breathing problem.
“That only happens in movies or on a show, not in real life,” she told WMUR, describing her disbelief.
Chandler said she had tried to be patient because the clinic appeared busy when she arrived.
She understood that employees might be overwhelmed toward the end of their shift and did not want to become an impatient patient.
But she never expected that waiting quietly could result in being forgotten.
The incident has raised questions about how medical facilities account for patients before closing, particularly those waiting in examination rooms.
Urgent care centers commonly treat patients with illnesses and injuries that require prompt attention but are not necessarily serious enough for an emergency department.
Staff members are expected to maintain appropriate oversight of patients receiving treatment, including ensuring that everyone has been accounted for before a facility closes.
For patients experiencing asthma symptoms, follow-up assessment can be particularly important because breathing difficulties can worsen unexpectedly.
However, Chandler has not reported suffering a new medical emergency while she was alone, and authorities have not announced that the incident resulted in physical injury.
ConvenientMD has since acknowledged what happened and issued a public apology.
“We sincerely regret the incident that occurred on Thursday, Sept. 24, at our urgent care clinic in Keene involving one of our valued patients,” the company said in a statement.
The provider admitted that the situation should never have occurred and did not reflect the standard of care it intended to offer the community.
According to the company, the clinic’s practice manager personally apologized to Chandler following the incident.
ConvenientMD also said it had taken corrective steps intended to prevent another patient from being left behind.
However, the company did not publicly detail exactly how the mistake happened or what specific procedures had been changed.
The Keene location has served area residents for years, offering treatment for common illnesses, injuries and other non-emergency medical needs.
Chandler said she and her family had previously used the clinic regularly and had not expected an experience like this.
But after being forgotten inside the building, she is reconsidering whether she would ever return.
When asked if she would use ConvenientMD again, Chandler replied, “Probably not.”
Despite her frustration, Chandler said she decided to share the experience publicly because she wanted to prevent someone else from going through a similar ordeal.
Her story has since drawn attention to the importance of patient accountability and closing procedures at medical facilities.
For Chandler, the memory of walking through an empty clinic while waiting for treatment remains difficult to believe.
She had arrived expecting medical care for an asthma attack.
Instead, she found herself searching for an exit and calling police after the people responsible for treating her had apparently gone home.
And while the clinic has apologized and promised changes, Chandler says the frightening experience has permanently damaged her confidence in the facility.
Leave a Reply