PeaceHealth Sacred Heart at RiverBend earns Chest Pain Center designation
Springfield, Ore.—The Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend is celebrating a major first-time recognition for demonstrating expertise and commitment in treating patients with chest pain.
The American College of Cardiology in December awarded PeaceHealth Sacred Heart at RiverBend Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI, following a rigorous onsite assessment of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.
Hospitals receiving this accreditation must take part in a multifaceted clinical process that includes a thorough examination of care provided and an action plan for streamlining processes, implementing standards and adopting best practices. They must meet or exceed an array of stringent criteria, and need to have organized a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians, and other administrative staff that earnestly support efforts leading to better patient education and patient outcomes.
“This is another step in our continuing efforts to optimize patient care and outcomes,” said Mary Kingston, chief executive, PeaceHealth Oregon network. “Chest Pain Center Accreditation means when you arrive at RiverBend with symptoms of a possible heart attack, you can expect state of the art care with the condition being identified quickly and best-practices treatment starting within minutes. This distinction was achieved by streamlining and improving our processes, from the time of admission to evaluation to diagnosis to treatment, all the way through to post-discharge care and recommendations for lifestyle changes. Stringent measures are in place to assure we are accountable to the higher accreditation standards.”
RiverBend’s accreditation includes the “Primary PCI” distinction, which means the hospital can provide percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as coronary angioplasty, 24/7, 365 days a year. PCI is a non-surgical procedure that opens narrowed or blocked coronary arteries with a balloon to relieve symptoms of heart disease or reduce heart damage during or after a heart attack.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 730,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. The most common symptom of heart attack for both men and women is chest pain or discomfort. Other symptoms include tingling or discomfort in one or both arms, back, shoulder, neck or jaw, as well as shortness of breath, a cold sweat, unusual fatigue, a heartburn-like feeling, nausea or vomiting, sudden dizziness and fainting. Women are more likely to have atypical symptoms.
To learn more about heart attack systems and the Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute at Sacred Heart at RiverBend, visit https://www.peacehealth.org/shared-pages/Pages/heart-attack-symptoms.
About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has more than 15,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 1,200 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.
