Sidney Health Center Receives 3 Montana Awards For Cardiac And Stroke Efforts

Sidney, MT – During the Montana Hospital Association Fall Convention and Trade Show, Sidney Health Center received three quality awards for its commitment to cardiac and stroke standards of care.

Sidney Health Center received a Quality Improvement Award from the Montana Rural Healthcare Performance Improvement Network (PIN) for its work with cardiac patients. Specifically, hospital staff worked together to reduce door-to-EKG test time in the Emergency Department for patients who present with chest pain from sixteen minutes to less than ten minutes.

Sidney Health Center has demonstrated a commitment to its community and the region it serves through its involvement with the MT Rural Healthcare PIN. Criteria to achieve this award includes:

• Performance Improvement in a project related to the Montana PIN data measures.

• Consistent and complete data reporting.

• Engagement and sharing with Montana Critical Access Hospitals.

In addition, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services recognized Sidney Health Center for its work in providing quality care for patients with a heart attack or stroke. The Cardiovascular Health Program within the state health department sponsored the Cardiac and Stroke Recognition Awards.

First, the Cardiac Recognition Award singles out Critical Access Hospitals which demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and commitment to provide high quality care for patients with acute coronary syndrome, which includes heart attack. Receiving the Cardiac Recognition confirms Sidney Health Center meets high standards related to the utilization of evidence-based cardiac order-sets and protocols, provides laboratory services 24/7, has a well thought out transfer protocol and has administrative commitment to treating heart attack patients.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in both Montana and the United States. Last year, over 3,000 Montanans died from the impact of heart disease. Symptom recognition and timely, high quality treatment are important factors in reducing death from heart attack.

Know the signs and symptoms of heart attack:

• Discomfort in the chest that does not go away after a short period of time

• Discomfort in the arm, shoulder, jaw or upper back

• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort

• Breaking out into a cold sweat, unexplained nausea, dizziness, palpitations or fatigue

Secondly, the Stroke Recognition Award singles out Critical Access Hospitals that demonstrate that they have the infrastructure and commitment to provide high quality care for patients with acute stroke. Receiving the Stroke Recognition confirms Sidney Health Center meets high standards related to the utilization of evidence-based stroke order-sets and protocols, laboratory and radiology services available 24/7 and administrative commitment to treating acute stroke patients.

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and is a leading cause of death in Montana. Last year, the devastating effects of stroke directly impacted over 2,000 Montana families. Symptom recognition and timely, high quality treatment are important factors in reducing death and disability from stroke.

Know the signs and symptoms of stroke:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg

• Sudden trouble seeing

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding

• Sudden loss of balance or coordination

• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

In both instances, if someone you know is experiencing heart attack or stroke symptoms:

• Call 9-1-1 immediately

For more information about heart disease, please visit: http://www.heart.org; and for more information about stroke, please visit: http://www.strokeassociation.org.