Wellstar Douglas Hospital recently attained advanced certification as a Primary Heart Attack Center (PHAC) by The Joint Commission and The American Heart Association. This means the hospital offers patients the next generation of cardiac care.
“Our cardiac experts in Douglas County are dedicated to doing what is best for the patient,” said Dr. Joshua M. Willis, Medical Director of Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Wellstar Douglas Hospital. “The Joint Commission certification shows that our cardiac program is designed to help people having heart attacks receive the fastest, most evidence-based care.”
Wellstar Douglas Hospital has 24-hour-a-day coverage to treat heart attacks. The hospital’s team communicates with first responders, so patients can get diagnosed and treated as fast as possible upon arrival at the hospital by ambulance.
“Everything we do is centered around giving each person the best chance for positive outcomes,” Dr. Willis said.
The hospital’s team aims to get patients diagnosed fast by performing cardiac tests within 10 minutes of arrival at the hospital. For patients who need surgical intervention, Wellstar Douglas Hospital’s interventional cardiologists perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) — a minimally-invasive procedure that restores blood flow to the heart — within a 90-minute-window.
According to Gene Morris, Director of Cardiac and Vascular Services, the cardiac team has performed 2,500 PCIs since the program launched in 2012.
Wellstar Douglas Hospital is also designated as an Emergency Cardiac Care Center (ECCC) Level II by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
To learn more about Wellstar Douglas Hospital, please visit the hospital webpage.
