More Reasons We're #1

CHEST PAIN CENTER

If you have chest pain, don't wait. Get to Clear Lake Regional Medical Center's Chest Pain Center, which recently was validated by the Society of Chest Pain Centers as having the expertise to assess and treat your pain.

Clear Lake Regional Medical Center has received full Cycle II accreditation with PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Interventions) as a Chest Pain Center from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.   We're the only facility in the Southeast Houston area to earn that distinction.

"Saving heart muscle quickly and effectively is a top priority at our Chest Pain Center,'' said Dr. Tracey Antill, Medical Director of the Emergency Department. "This accreditation validates the lifesaving measures we take every day and reinforces the confidence patients can have in us for treatment of chest pain.''

"Our door-to-intervention times are among the best in the Houston area, even the nation,'' said Dr. Nadir Ali, Chairman of the Cardiology Department. "That means if you are having a heart attack, we can open the blood vessel causing the attack, often within 90 minutes of the time you come through the door of the Emergency Department. That can save heart muscle and possibly your life.''

Clear Lake Regional Medical Center's Chest Pain Center has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

Clear Lake Regional Medical Center became the 4 th accredited Chest Pain Center in the nation and the 2nd in Texas when it received its initial Cycle 1 accreditation in 2003. The Cycle II accreditation expires in 2009.

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 it takes to receive treatment and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.

Key areas in which Clear Lake Medical Center's Chest Pain Center demonstrated 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

• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures

• Ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training

• Maintaining organizational structure and commitment

• Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care

• Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack

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. For more information, visit www.scpcp.org or contact Robert Lipetz, executive director, at (614) 442-5950 or director@scpcp.org .