Glendale Adventist Medical Center (GAMC) announced that it received full chest pain center accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) in February.

The accreditation process ensures that patients who arrive at the hospital complaining of chest pain or other symptoms of a heart attack receive the treatment necessary during the critical window of time when the heart muscle can be preserved.

SCPC’s goal 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 Accredited Chest Pain Center at GAMC has demonstrated its expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and undergoing an onsite review by a team of SPCP’s accreditation review specialists. Key areas in which an Accredited Chest Pain Center must demonstrate 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 the competence and training of Accredited Chest Pain Center personnel, maintaining organizational structure and commitment, having a functional design that promotes optimal patient care and supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack

Glendale Adventist Medical Center Chest Pain Center encompasses the entire continuum of care for the heart patient and includes such focal points as dispatch, Emergency Medical System, emergency department and cardiac catheterization lab. GAMC is one of the few Chest Pain Centers in the area.

For more information, visit http://www.glendaleadventist.com or call (818) 409-8100.