In 2011, Licking Memorial Hospital’s Cardiology Department received accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC).
The accreditation is reserved for hospitals that demonstrate an advanced level of expertise in caring for heart attack patients with high-tech interventional procedures. This accreditation places LMH among fewer than 500 hospitals in the U.S. that have received this accreditation. Dr. Rajjoub received his Doctor of Medicine Degree at Tichreen University School of Medicine in Lattakia, Syria. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago/Weiss Hospital and completed a cardiology fellowship and interventional cardiology fellowship at Saint Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He also is fellowship trained in peripheral vascular disease intervention and board certified in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology and nuclear cardiology.
LMH has routinely met and exceeded the AHA/ACC guidelines. LMH patients typically received angioplasty in 2011 in an average of 57 minutes after arriving in the ED with cardiac symptoms – seven minutes faster than the national average of 64. This statistic ranks LMH in the top 20 percent of hospitals nationwide. The Cardiology team reduced the average time even further during the fourth quarter of 2011 to an average of 47 minutes, which propels LMH to the top five percent of hospitals nationwide when measuring speed.
“There is a widespread misconception that you will receive better cardiac care in a larger city,” Dr. Rajjoub said. “During a heart attack, it is a waste of precious time and a risk to heart muscle if a patient is transported to another city. Because community hospitals such as LMH have the ability to routinely provide excellent heart care, a bigger impact can be made on saving more lives within the community.”
LMH is committed to the prevention of sudden cardiac death in the community, and has devoted numerous resources to ensure that Licking County residents receive quality cardiac care even before they reach the Hospital. Licking Memorial Health Systems(LMHS) donated approximately 150 automated external defibrillators (AEDs), valued at more than $198,000, that were placed in key locations throughout the county, including emergency medical vehicles, law enforcement vehicles, schools, youth athletic facilities and Newark City Hall.
LMHS also provided training for the AEDs to ensure that staff in these locations could utilize them in case of emergency. In 2007, LMHS invested more than $300,000 to install and standardize12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) transmitters in each of the county’s 18 emergency medical departments. The equipment is used in communicating ECG data from an EMS squad to LMH, allowing the ED to begin the diagnostic process for a cardiac patient before the squad arrives. An additional $50,000was donated to this project in 2011 to update the equipment and provide extensive training for the ED and Licking County EMS staff.
In addition, LMHS underwrites the cost of the Heart to Play program, which provides free ECG screenings to middle and high school athletes and band members. Licking County All-Stars football players and students in C-TEC’s Criminal Justice, Fire and Physical Therapy programs are eligible, as well.