Good Samaritan Hospital

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
Contact: Jennifer Aalgaard
Phone: 253.219.1715
Email: jennifer.aalgaard@goodsamhealth.org

MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital Receives
Accreditation as a Chest Pain Center

PUYALLUP, WA- The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) has granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center to MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, making it the sixth accredited Chest Pain Center in the state of Washington.

“The society's seal of accreditation is an important distinction for Good Samaritan,” said Bret Lambert, MD, Good Samaritan Hospital Emergency Department. “Successful treatment of heart attacks is time dependent and must be initiated quickly. This accreditation certifies that our hospital and staff are totally prepared to care for patients with heart attack symptoms in a rapid, systematic manner.”

A Chest Pain Center is the sum of the processes of care for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients that start from the time the patient calls the ambulance until that patient is discharged from the hospital. A Chest Pain Center encompasses the entire hospital, much like a trauma center. This special designation acknowledges that Good Samaritan provides excellent care of all cardiac patients – those with undiagnosed chest pain to those with a known heart attack.

MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital 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
- Emergency assessment of patients with symptoms of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS)
- Community Outreach

MultiCare is a leading-edge, connected organization made up of four hospitals including Allenmore Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Center and Tacoma General Hospital, numerous primary care and urgent care clinics, multi-specialty centers, Hospice and Home Health services, and many other services. A not-for-profit organization based in Tacoma, Washington since 1882, MultiCare has grown over the years in response to community needs. Today we are the area's largest provider of health care services, serving patients at 93 locations in Pierce, South King, Kitsap and Thurston counties.

About the Society of Chest Pain Centers

The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is a non-profit international society dedicated to the belief that heart disease can be eliminated as the number one cause of death worldwide. Because we know that time translates to muscle during a heart emergency, the Society bridges cardiology, emergency medicine and other professions jointly focused upon improving timely, quality care for cardiac patients.

For more information on the Society of Chest Pain Centers, please contact Robert Weisenburger Lipetz, Executive Director at 614.274.9710 or director@scpcp.org.