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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EMH Regional Medical Center
Receives Chest Pain Center Accreditation

Elyria, OH – November 18, 2004. The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) has granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center to EMH Regional Medical Center-Elyria, making it the 9th accredited Chest Pain Center in Ohio and the 72nd in the nation.

“Meeting The Society of Chest Pain Centers criteria is a validation of our process and our focus on the successful diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients,” said Alan Starr, M.D., EMH Emergency Department physician and Chest Pain Center Medical Director. “We have coordination and integration across the care continuum, so there is seamless and consistent evaluation and treatment from the moment EMS responds to a 911 call in the field, all the way through the ER and onto the floor if the patient is admitted.”

“Obtaining SCPC accreditation involves a very thorough process. We challenged our practice so that we could ensure the very best care for our patients,” said Charlotte Wray, R.N., and EMH Director of Cardiovascular Services. “We can say confidently that we are delivering care that is consistent with strict standards, which results in better patient outcomes.”

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 Chest Pain Center at EMH Regional Medical Center 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:

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

About EMH Regional Medical Center
EMH Regional Healthcare System’s mission is to improve the health status and quality of life for residents in and around Lorain County. To fulfill this mission, EMH Regional Medical Center, The Hospital for Orthopaedic and Specialty Services, the EMH Center for Health & Fitness in Avon, along with a multi-disciplinary medical staff provides services to meet the needs of the community. EMH Regional Medical Center was founded in 1908 as a community hospital and has evolved into one of the nation’s Top 100 hospitals. For more information visit www.emh-healthcare.org or www.EMHBabies.org.

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