News

May 2008

RELEASE UPON RECEIPT 09 May, 2008

For more information, contact:     Anne Thomure, Director Hospital/Community Relations 618-257-5649

Memorial Hospital Earns Chest Pain Center Accreditation

(Belleville, Illinois) Memorial Hospital’s Chest Pain Center has received full Cycle II accreditation with PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Interventions) from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.  Memorial is among 383 accredited Chest Pain Centers nationwide and becomes the 13th accredited chest pain center in the state of Illinois, one of just six in the state with PCI.

“Our accreditation as a Chest Pain Center is another example of Memorial’s commitment to provide the community with exceptional healthcare and compassionate service,” said Nancy Weston, RN, vice president of nursing service at Memorial.  “Our Chest Pain Center team has implemented many new process improvements to enhance the care of cardiac patients.”

The Chest Pain Center’s protocol driven and systematic approach to patient care allows physicians to reduce time to treatment during the early stages of a heart attack – when treatments are most effective and to monitor patients when it is not clear whether they are having a coronary event.  This type of observation helps ensure that a patient is not sent home too early or needlessly admitted.

 The designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center is given to facilities that have made a commitment to provide patients with consistent quality in the delivery of emergency care based on national guidelines established by leaders in cardiovascular and emergency medicine.
        
“Memorial’s Chest Pain Center accreditation is another great example of the collaboration and competence our staff demonstrates in providing high-quality service to our patients,” said Mark J. Turner, Memorial’s president and CEO.

Memorial’s Chest Pain Center earned accreditation demonstrating its expertise to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding stringent criteria and undergoing a site survey by a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.  Key areas in which a Chest Pain Center is evaluated include:

• Emergency Department integration with the Emergency Medical System.  Memorial is this area’s EMS Resource Hospital for the State of Illinois.
• Assessing, diagnosing and treating patients quickly
• Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms
• Functional facility design that promotes optimal patient care
• Personnel competency and training
• Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
• Engaging in continuous process improvement initiatives
• Community Outreach programs

ABOUT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Memorial Hospital, a 313-bed acute care general hospital, is accredited by the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) and has earned designation as the 288th Magnet hospital in the country; the 16th in the State of Illinois and the only Magnet recognized hospital south of Springfield.  Memorial operates the area’s largest emergency department recording nearly 50,000 visits in 2007.
Memorial is celebrating its 50th anniversary during 2008.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF CHEST PAIN CENTERS

Established September 18, 1998, the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is a non-profit international society that bridges cardiology, emergency medicine and other professions focused upon improving care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and acute heart failure.

The Society promotes protocol-based medicine, often delivered through a chest pain center model to address the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes, acute heart failure, and to promote the adoption of process improvement science by healthcare providers.

        Society of Chest Pain Center Website  

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