Crockett Hospital Achieves Accreditation as Chest Pain Center

3/3/2011

Lawrenceburg, Tenn. • March 3, 2011 – Crockett Hospital 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.

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, Crockett Hospital engaged in rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. In greater Lawrence-County, 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

"People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack, and that's a mistake," states Carol Laird, Crockett Hospital's Chief Nursing Officer. "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."

"Chest Pain Center Accreditation is a huge accomplishment and I am proud of the individual and collective efforts that went into completing this rigorous process," states Jeff Noblin, Crockett Hospital's Chief Executive Officer. "This represents the first step we've made towards building a foundation of more comprehensive cardiac care in Lawrence County. Our patients can expect more developments in the near future."

Crockett Hospital's state-of-the-art healthcare encompasses the entire continuum of care for the heart patient and includes such focal points as dispatch, Emergency Medical System, emergency department, the hospital's quality assurance plan and community outreach programs. By becoming an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Crockett Hospital has enhanced the quality of care for the cardiac patient and has demonstrated its commitment to higher standards.