Polk Medical Center local source for high-quality heart care
With a high rate of heart disease in Polk County, staff members at Polk Medical Center know it’s important to provide the best heart care possible to the community.
The hospital makes it convenient for community members to receive heart care close to home by offering a wide range of cardiac services, including care for heart attack and chest pain, diagnostic testing such as heart stress tests and echocardiograms, heart failure care, and cardiac rehab.
If additional services or higher-level care are needed, Polk Medical Center team members have worked closely with the staff of Floyd Medical Center in Rome to provide a seamless transition of care for patients who need to be transferred.
HEART ATTACK AND CHEST PAIN
Every minute heart care is delayed can result in damage to the heart muscle. The outcome for surviving a heart attack is greatly increased when a person receives prompt care by professionals trained to meet Chest Pain Center guidelines.
Polk Medical Center is an accredited Chest Pain Center by the American College of Cardiology.
At Polk, the goal is to treat heart attack patients quickly — with a door-in to doorout (DIDO) time of 30 minutes or less. The goal is to have a patient in the catheterization lab at Floyd Medical Center in Rome and to have the artery causing the heart attack open within 90 minutes of arriving at Polk.
Polk is also a Chest Pain Center of Excellence. This means that staff members at Polk have committed to quality care and improving the outcomes for people experiencing sudden, reduced blood flow to the heart (medically known as acute coronary syndrome). They also promote awareness to the community about Early Heart Attack Care (EHAC) and performing hands-only CPR.
DIAGNOSTIC TESTING
Polk Medical Center also offers outpatient and inpatient diagnostic heart tests. Diagnostic tests offered at Polk include:
echocardiogram — an ultrasound of the heart that shows the heart structure and how it functions
stress tests — dobutamine (chemical) stress test and a treadmill stress test
heart monitoring — Holter monitors (a continuous heart monitor) and cardiac event monitors (activated by the wearer)
CARDIAC REHABILITATION
People recovering from a heart attack or open-heart surgery often need help getting their strength back so they can resume their usual daily activities. The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Polk Medical Center provides the monitored rehab environment needed during recovery.
Rehab therapists work with cardiologists to create a personalized exercise program to improve a patient’s fitness level. External monitoring is used to ensure patients are exercising safely. Staff members will also help patients learn how to eat healthier and how to best care for their heart.
HEART FAILURE
In addition to caring for people hospitalized with heart failure, Polk Medical Center has created a Heart Failure Center of Excellence committee. This committee was formed for three purposes:
to lead Polk’s focus on individuals with heart failure and the services they need
to strengthen the relationship between local primary care providers, cardiologists and Polk Medical Center
to improve the care of people with heart failure in the community
Polk has also received American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines Accreditation and The Joint Commission Disease Specific Accreditation for heart failure and stroke care.
“By being Joint Commission Heart Failure certified, we provide the Gold standard of care and optimize the quality of life for our community,” said Tifani Kinard, Administrator and Chief Nursing Officer, Polk Medical Center.
These accreditations were achieved by being active in the community with heart and stroke education; meeting the standards of care for these patients; and striving to continually improve care.