Long Beach Memorial Medical Center One Of Only Two California Hospitals Granted Prestigious Chest Pain Center Accreditation

LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Chest Pain Centers granted the designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center -- one of only two fully accredited Chest Pain Centers in California and one of just 142 centers in the United States.

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"Being among the first to receive national accreditation identifies Long Beach Memorial as a leader in cardiac care in the state and nation," says Byron Schweigert, PharmD, CEO of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. "Distinction as an Accredited Chest Pain Center validates the ground-breaking accomplishments of our physicians, nurses, health professionals and support staff in the Memorial Heart and Vascular Institute and Emergency Department and Trauma Center. Chest Pain Accreditation is a tremendous accomplishment for Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and, more importantly, a great asset to our community."

Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the U.S., with 600,000 people dying annually of heart disease. More than five million Americans with chest pain are treated at hospitals each year. Long Beach Memorial's pioneering Chest Pain Center, one of the first in the nation to open in 1989, provides immediate evaluation, accurate diagnosis and sophisticated life-saving treatment options for heart attacks. It ranks among the top three percent in the nation for heart attack survival," says Myrvin Ellestad, MD, medical director of the Memorial Heart and Vascular Institute

"The Society of Chest Pain Centers seeks to significantly reduce the mortality rate of heart attack patients by helping the public recognize and react to early symptoms, reduce the time to receive treatment and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment," says Gary Moreau, MD, medical director of the Long Beach Memorial Emergency Department. "The Accreditation process ensures centers meet or exceed quality of care measures in acute cardiac medicine."

This is one of many accolades received by Long Beach Memorial for excellence in cardiac care. Its Emergency Department and Chest Pain Center are one of a handful of hospitals statewide consistently named by the State of California as being one of the safest places to survive a heart attack. Long Beach Memorial has also been listed in Modern Maturity magazine's "Nation's Top 10 Cardiovascular Surgery Hospitals."

With access to the latest technologies and techniques, the Memorial Heart and Vascular Institute offers the full spectrum of cardiovascular services in one location. These include prevention, education, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, more than 25 open research protocols for the treatment of heart disease. At Memorial Heart and Vascular Institute, premiere care is delivered by more than 50 nationally recognized physician heart specialists. Many of their names appear on lists of "Best Doctors in America," and they have published dozens of research articles in prestigious national medical journals.

CONTACT: Terri Starkman of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center,+1-562-933-2804, or cell +1-562-335-5773