The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) has granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center to St. Luke’s Medical Center-Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“Being an accredited Chest Pain Center means we have the structure and processes in place to care for patients who come through our doors with chest pain (cardiac or non-cardiac) and deliver the best care based on most current research,” explains Mia Stone, regional cardiac program manager and chest pain coordinator.

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 that it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment. The protocol at an accredited chest pain center allows physicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack, when treatments are most effective. Research shows that early intervention often means patients can go home faster.

The Chest Pain Center at St. Luke’s Medical Center has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and completing on-site evaluations by a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Key areas in which a Chest Pain Center must demonstrate expertise include:

• Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system
• Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly 
• Having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care
• Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures
• Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack

St. Luke’s Medical Center is a part of Aurora Health Care, a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers services at sites in 80 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.

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Contact:  Steve Pinzer (414-649-6419)