Crockett Hospital C.E.O. Says Education

Campaign May Have Saved His Life

LAWRENCEBURG, TN. March 2008. Hospitals throughout the country are taking advantage of the national observance of March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month to educate citizens in their communities about how easily colon cancer can be prevented.

Jack Buck, Chief Executive Officer of Crockett Hospital in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, tells us about the first life that may have been saved at his hospital as a result of these educational efforts.  “We had a patient take advantage of the colon cancer awareness program.  This patient went to see Dr. Michael Boyd, a general surgeon in our community, and he scheduled a colonoscopy.  This patient had no symptoms but fit the over 50 and family history profile.  The patient had a large stalk polyp removed that fortunately was benign.  That patient was me.”

Buck knew the guidelines.  He was over 50 and had colon cancer in his family (his mom and uncle).  He even worked in healthcare.  But, like so many people throughout the U.S., he simply hadn’t yet gotten around to asking his doctor about a colorectal cancer screening.

He took care of that on Monday, March 10.  During the colonoscopy, Dr. Boyd discovered and removed a large polyp.

“The large polyp was the type that turns malignant easily,” Buck said.  “My experience shows that screening works.  I am grateful that we did it as it probably saved my life.  Sharing my experience may influence others to participate.”

Statistics show that fewer than 50 percent of adults age 50 or older have had one of the readily available colorectal cancer screening tests within the recommended time periods.  That may be because many people do not realize you can actually prevent colon cancer, in many cases, by simply having a colonoscopy.  The cancer develops from polyps that can be removed during a colonoscopy procedure before they become malignant (cancerous).

Additionally, when detected at an early, localized stage, colorectal cancers are nearly 100% curable.  Unfortunately, however, only 39% of these cancers are diagnosed at this stage, mostly due to low rates of screening.  It has been estimated that as many as one-third of the deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented if people would just get screened.

To receive your free ColoCARE Home Screening Kit, call 1-866-512-2388, or Crockett Hospital at 931-766-3164. Crcokett Hospital, 1607 South Locust Avenue, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464.

Crockett Hospital- Lawrenceburg, TN received full Cycle II accreditation status from the Accreditation Review Committee on September 17, 2007.  Accreditation expires September 16, 2010.  Crockett Hospital is the 367th accredited Chest Pain Center in the nation.

“Crockett Hospital is extremely proud to be accredited as a Chest Pain Center,” stated Jack Buck, CEO of Crockett Hospital. “I’d like to thank the Saint Thomas Health Services for their invaluable assistance in preparing the hospital to receive accreditation and for welcoming us into the St. Thomas Chest Pain Network. We have worked diligently in collaboration with St. Thomas Chest Pain Network, the Lawrenceburg Fire Department, the Lawrence County EMS, and the Air Evac Lifeteam to bring advanced cardiac services to our community.”

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers 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.

The 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 they are having a coronary event. Such observation helps ensure that a patient is neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.

With the rise of Chest Pain Centers came the need to establish standards designed to improve the consistency and quality of care provided to patients. The Society’s accreditation process insures centers meet or exceed quality-of-care measures in acute cardiac medicine.

The St. Thomas Chest Pain Center at Crockett Hospital has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Key areas in which a Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include:

1. Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
2. Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly
3. Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms
4. Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
5. Ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training
6. Maintaining organizational structure and commitment
7. Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
8. Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack

About Crockett Hospital
Crockett Hospital is an acute care hospital dedicated to providing our friends and neighbors with the healthcare they need close to home. Since its inception in 1974, Crockett Hospital has been committed to providing high quality, accessible, compassionate, and cost-effective healthcare to our community.

For more information on Crockett Hospital, visit www.crocketthospital.com or contact Bob Augustin Jr., Director of Human Resources at (931) 766-3188.

About the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC)
The Society of Chest Pain Centers is a patient centric non-profit international professional organization focused upon improving care for patients with acute coronary syndromes and other related maladies. Established in 1998, the Society is dedicated to patient advocacy and focusing on ischemic heart disease. Central to its mission is the question, “What is right for the patient?” In answer, the Society promotes protocol based medicine, often delivered through a Chest Pain Center model to address the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, and to promote the adoption of process improvement science by healthcare providers. To best fulfill this mission, the Society of Chest Pain Centers provides accreditation to facilities striving for optimum Chest Pain Center care. SCPC is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

For more information on the Society of Chest Pain Centers visit www.scpcp.org, or contact Robert Lipetz, Executive Director at (614) 442-5950 or director@scpcp.org.