Union Hospital Reaccredited as a Chest Pain Center

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Category: News & Events

Created on Tuesday, 11 October 2011 13:51

Terre Haute, IN -- Union Hospital announces that it has received Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC), an international organization dedicated to eliminating heart disease as the number one cause of death worldwide. Union Hospital has been accredited since 2008 and Union Hospital Clinton was reaccredited in April.

Hospitals that have received SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. They emphasize the importance of standardized diagnostic and treatment programs that provide more efficient and effective evaluation as well as more appropriate and rapid treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms. They also serve as a point of entry into the healthcare system to evaluate and treat other medical problems, and they help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.

To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Union Hospital engaged in rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. To the community served by Union Hospital, this means that processes are in place that meet strict criteria aimed at:

• Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment

• Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved

• Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital

"The average patient arrives in the emergency department more than two hours after the onset of symptoms, but what they don't realize is that the sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart and the better the outcome for the patient," said Myrna Dienhart, System Director of Union Hospital's Emergency Department and Cath Lab. " We are making a positive impact on the time it takes for treatment and we are saving heart muscle with every minute."

Union Hospital's state-of-the-art healthcare encompasses the entire continuum of care for the heart patient and starts before the person having a heart attack even arrives at the hospital with the Lifenet EKG system. This System allows paramedics to send EKGs to the hospital before the arrival of the patient and can activate the heart code team. Other focal points include highly trained Emergency Department Staff, cath lab special heart code team, and Union Hospital's community outreach program aimed at educating the public on the signs and symptoms of heart attack so they call 911 immediately. By becoming an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Union Hospital has enhanced the quality of care for the cardiac patient and has demonstrated its commitment to higher standards.

About Union Hospital
Union Hospital was founded in 1892 as a 20-bed facility. Today, the 380-bed not-for profit hospital located in Terre Haute, Indiana, is a regional referral center, serving patients in west-central Indiana and east-central Illinois. The Union Health System includes Union Hospital Clinton- a 25-bed critical access hospital, and a large staff of physicians, nurses, and other health care providers. Union Hospital is the largest non-profit provider of health care services between Indianapolis and St. Louis, providing quality care to all, regardless of ability to pay. Visit our website at www.myunionhospital.org and join us on Facebook.

About the Society of Chest Pain Centers
Established in 1998, SCPC is a patient-centric nonprofit international organization focused on improving care for patients with heart disease. Central to SCPC's mission is the question, "What is right for the patient?" In response, SCPC promotes protocol-based medicine, often delivered through a chest pain center model, to address the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndrome and heart failure and to promote the adoption of process improvement science by healthcare providers. To best fulfill this mission, SCPC provides accreditation and education to facilities striving for optimum cardiac care. SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information on SCPC and accreditation opportunities, visit www.scpcp.org, or call toll free 1-877-271-4176.

Union Hospital, Inc., 1606 N 7th St, Terre Haute, IN 47804 United States