SPRINGFIELD – Prairie Heart Institute (PHI) at St. John’s Hospital has received
Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC), an
international organization dedicated to eliminating heart disease as the number
one cause of death worldwide.
Hospitals that have received SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of
expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack.
“People tend to wait when they think they might be having a heart attack, and that’s
a mistake,” said Charles Lucore, M.D., F.A.C.C., Executive Director of PHI and co-director
of the Cath Lab at St. John’s.
“The average patient arrives in the emergency department
more than two hours after the onset of symptoms, but what they don’t realize is
that the sooner a heart attack is treated, the less damage to the heart and the
better the outcome for the patient.”
To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, St. John’s engaged in rigorous evaluation
by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose, and treat patients who may be experiencing
a heart attack. To the community served by St. John’s, this means that processes
are in place with the goals of:
Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment
Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity
of the heart muscle can be preserved
Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to
ensure they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital
Bob Ritz, St. John’s President and CEO, said: “Prairie Heart ranks at the top nationally
when it comes to treating heart attacks. We believe in a continuum of care for the
heart patient that involves a team approach. We know excellent patient care starts
the moment the patient calls 911, arrives at St. John’s Hospital, through to the
follow-up after their release. By becoming an Accredited Chest Pain Center, St.
John’s has improved our quality of care for the cardiac patient and demonstrated
our commitment to higher standards.”