Southeast Health has achieved Chest Pain Center Accreditation with PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) from the American College of Cardiology, an organization dedicated to eliminating heart disease as the No.1 cause of death worldwide.

The accreditation means Southeast Health has achieved the highest level of expertise in dealing with heart attack patients. Southeast Health has established a standardized process to ensure chest pain patients are quickly diagnosed and treated.

The program is centered on community education, rapid response and treatment of patients with chest pain and heart attack symptoms.

Southeast Health’s goal is to better educate the community about the signs and symptoms of heart attacks. Education will be accomplished through community health fairs, physician drive programs and self-assessment tools on the hospital’s website. Southeast Health will also continue to work closely with first responders to ensure they are properly equipped to handle chest pain patients in the field.

Once a potential chest pain patient arrives at Southeast Health, there is a process in place that includes highly trained physicians and staff from the Emergency Department and Heart and Vascular Center to ensure rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients.