PMC recognized for heart care

Portneuf Medical Center is celebrating after winning national recognition as a top hospital for patients with heart problems.

Steve Proctor woke up one morning with a pressure in his chest and pain in his jaw.

“I decided that i would get cleaned up and go to work and see if it kind of went away, and it did not,” Proctor said.

Lucky for him he works at a hospital.

After he talked with some doctors and nurses at PMC about his symptoms he got the diagnosis. He’d been having a heart attack.

For anyone having a heart attack, Portneuf is a good place to be.

PMC has worked to get major accreditation as a top hospital for treating those that come in with chest pain.

“This is really a very desirable and difficult to achieve certification. We’ve been working on it for 2 or 3 years now,” PMC Cardiac Services Director Benjamin Call, M.D. Said.

Proctor agreed, and said he felt at ease in the hands of the cardiac staff.

“From the moment I went in the emergency room the level of attention to detail was incredible. Everyone was very knowledgeable, and knew exactly what to look for, exactly what to test for next,” Proctor said.

Call said what makes this accreditation so difficult to achieve, is that it doesn’t just look at one part of care, but requires excellence in every aspect.

“From the time they check into the emergency room to the time the go home and get followed up is looked at in this certification. This is not just how well we take care of one part of the care, it’s the entire spectrum of care,” Call said.