St. Mary’s Medical Center Maintains National Chest Pain Center Accreditation

Marshall Health Network-St. Mary’s Medical Center (SMMC) has once again been recognized by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) for its expertise in caring for patients with chest pain or possible heart attack symptoms. SMMC has maintained Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation since 2010, a designation that highlights its ongoing commitment to fast, effective, and life-saving heart care for the Tri-State community.

Heart attacks affect more than 730,000 Americans every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While chest pain or pressure is the most common symptom, patients—especially women—may also experience unusual tiredness, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, or pain in the arms, back, neck or jaw.

“St. Mary’s Medical Center has demonstrated its commitment to providing excellent heart care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award St. Mary’s Medical Center with Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation.”

At SMMC, doctors and staff are specially trained to recognize and treat these warning signs quickly. The hospital has teams available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to perform emergency procedures that restore blood flow to the heart and reduce long-term damage.

“We’re proud to have held this accreditation for more than a decade,” said Melissa Mielcarek, MSHA, MBA, FACHE, vice president of cardiovascular services at Marshall Health Network. “This recognition reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses and staff who work tirelessly to ensure our patients receive the very best heart care close to home.”

The ACC’s Chest Pain Center Accreditation process looks at everything from staff training and emergency response times to patient education and follow-up care. Hospitals that earn this designation go above and beyond to ensure patients experiencing heart problems receive the highest level of care.

Learn more about advanced heart care at St. Mary’s Regional Heart Institute: https://www.st-marys.org/centers-services/regional-heart-institute.