Sharon Regional Health System is the recipient of Chest Pain Center with PCI Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC). This accreditation is in recognition of the hospital's commitment to the highest standards in the country for heart failure care and signifies a new level of heart care for the Shenango Valley community.
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. SCPC's goal 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.
An Accredited Chest Pain Center's evidence-based, protocol-driven approach to cardiac patient care allows clinicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack. Chest pain centers better monitor patients when it is not clear whether or not a patient is having a coronary event. Such monitoring ensures patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted.
SCPC's CPC Accreditation process ensures that hospitals meet or exceed a wide set of stringent criteria and undergo a comprehensive onsite review by a team of accreditation review specialists. Hospitals that received SCPC CPC Accreditation status have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack.
By achieving SCPC's Chest Pain Center with PCI Accreditation status, Sharon Regional Health System demonstrated expertise in the following areas:
- Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
- Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly
- Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
- Ensuring the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Center personnel
- Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack
The Accreditation is a 3-year award. To learn more about The Heart and Vascular Institute at Sharon Regional Health System, click here.