Kansas City, Mo.– St. Joseph Medical Center has earned Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest pain Centers. St. Joseph undertook a rigorous evaluation and refinement of heart care processes in order to integrate the industry’s best practices into its cardiac care services. The accreditation proves St. Joseph works seamlessly with area Emergency Medical Services to ensure patients get the treatment they need during the critical early stages of a heart attack.
As an Accredited Chest Pain Center, St. Joseph ensures patients who come to the Emergency Department with chest pain or discomfort are given the immediate treatment necessary to avoid as much heart damage as possible. Protocol-based procedures developed by leading experts in cardiac care are part of St. Joseph’s overall cardiac care services.
“This accreditation further demonstrates our dedication to excellence and quality care for our patients,” says Mike Dorsey, CEO, St. Joseph Medical Center. “It shows that when patients come to St. Joseph they can trust us to provide the best possible outcomes in heart care.”
Heart attack warning signs:
- Chest discomfort—pressure, squeezing or pain; lasting more than a few minutes, or comes and goes
- Discomfort or pain in the upper body—in one or both arms, the back, neck jaw or stomach
- Shortness of breath
- Cold sweat
- Nausea or lightheadedness.
Any Mehaffey, the Director of Cardiac Services at St. Joseph says, “The accreditation also emphasizes the importance of community education. We need to remind people not to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack. Don’t wait. Call 911. The sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart.” St. Joseph Medical Center is a 310-bed facility providing a wide range of acute care and outpatient services from a 24-hour emergency department to state-of-the-art cardiovascular care.
St. Joseph has earned the Magnet designation from The American Nurses Credentialing Center for excellence in nursing services. The accredited Stroke Center at St. Joseph provides advanced treatments available at few centers in the Kansas City area and the Breast Center is a nationally recognized leader in breast MRI biopsy. Visit St. Joseph on the Web at stjosephkc.com.