Nationally Recognized Chest Pain Network Comes To Havana IL

HAVANA, Ill. - Feb. 6, 2014 - PRLog -- Mason District Hospital and the Prairie Heart Institute of Springfield, IL have a long history of working together to provide Prairie Heart care locally to hundreds of patients in the Havana area.  The newest addition to that long history is the Prairie Heart Institute Chest Pain Network.  This network of community hospitals represents the region's most comprehensive and coordinated approach to diagnosing and treating chest pain in Illinois.  It connects hospitals and local EMS agencies to ensure that when the patient arrives in the emergency room, a well-orchestrated series of events and protocols are started for the swift diagnosis and treatment of chest pain patients.

"Chest pain is one of the most common complaints of patients presenting to the emergency department, but only 10 – 15 percent of patients with chest pain are actually having a heart attack. One of the goals of a Chest Pain Network is to significantly reduce the time it takes to determine the exact cause of chest pain, which reduces the time to treatment during the critical early stages when treatments are most effective," according to Dr. Shailesh Nandish from Prairie Cardiovascular, who is the Medical Director of the program.

"By becoming part of the Prairie Heart Chest Pain Network, we can ensure that we are able to quickly and accurately diagnose the cause of chest pain and determine the next best step," says Harry Wolin, Administrator, CEO.

“Mason District Hospital 's forward-thinking leadership and commitment to the residents of its community make it an ideal partner to bring new ways of treating heart disease to Havana," said Jim Zito, CEO of Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois.

The Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois Chest Pain Network is a standardized approach to diagnosing and treating chest pain and heart attacks by:
- Ensuring that Chest Pain is given a priority at the community Emergency Department by administering an immediate EKG;
- Appropriate triaging of chest pain patients based on teh protocol developed by Prairie Heart;
- A comprehensive prootcal that ranges from immediate trasnport and intervention to lcoal obsevavation and discharge; and,
- Patient and community education to recognize and react to chest pain as well as healthcare professionals' education to be aware of the latest diagnostic and treatment options for their patients.

"With changes in health care occurring almost every day, it's this kind of partnership that will be needed to ensure those who provide care remain viable and relevant," said Harry Wolin, Administrator, CEO.

Mason District Hospital is a rural critical access hospital serving Mason and southern Fulton Counties since 1957. The hospital includes full service emergency room, physician clinics in Havana and Mason City, specialty clinics, high-tech diagnostics, and rehabilitation services.

The Prairie Heart Institute of Illinois (PHII) is a community-based network of hospitals that offer cardiovascular programs staffed by the nationally recognized Prairie Cardiovascular Consultants, the largest group of cardiologists in the central Midwest's tri-state region.  The network hospitals of PHII offer the highest level of cardiovascular care possible in their communities.  When more specialized care is needed, it is available in Springfield, Belleville or Carbondale, IL.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Angie Smith at 309-543-8159 or email at a-smith@masondistricthospital.org.