Northside Medical Center has received full accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) and Trumbull Memorial Hospital received its re-accreditation, according to the hospitals' parent company, ValleyCare.
Trumbull Memorial has been the area's first and only Chest Pain Center, having received the designation in 2005, and now Northside Medical Center also has attained the elite distinction.
Hospitals that receive SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. According to the SCPC, accreditation means a facility has met strict criteria aimed at:
- Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment;
- Treating patients more quickly during a critical window of time to preserve the integrity of the heart muscle;
- Monitoring patients when it is not certain they are having a heart attack to ensure they are not sent home too quickly or admitted needlessly to the hospital.
The accreditation process required close coordination between local EMS responders and Northside Medical Center's emergency room, heart and vascular center, pharmacy, internal medicine and other departments throughout the hospital. Prior to receiving accreditation, surveyors visited Northside Medical Center and Trumbull Memorial Hospital to assess the facilities and protocols for rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms.
The people of the Mahoning Valley can be comforted with knowing that when having a heart attack if they come to Northside or Trumbull, they will receive the best care possible," said David J. Fikse, ValleyCare CEO. "Both hospitals are Level III trauma centers and Certified Chest Pain Centers and have received many quality distinctions from such organizations as the American Heart Association, Ohio Department of Health and the Joint Commission. Our teams have been working hard to meet these elite marks of excellence and we are continuing to raise the bar for the health and well being of our community."
The Accredited Chest Pain Center's protocol-driven and systematic approach to patient management allows physicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective, and to better monitor patients when it is not clear whether or not they are having a coronary event.
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than 5 million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. SCPC's goal is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time that it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.
