Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital performance stands out in LA County

College of the Canyons womens basketball coach Greg Herrick talks about his experience on Tuesday at the hospital during and after he suffered a heart attack. Katharine Lotze/Signal
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Although Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital’s center to treat heart attacks is only three years old, it is already rated one of the best in Los Angeles County.

From January to June 2016, the heart attack center had the fastest “door-to-balloon” time throughout Los Angeles County, according to a recent report released by Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMSA) of Los Angeles.

Door-to-balloon times are measured as the elapsed time from when a patient arrives in the Emergency Department to the moment a balloon is inserted in a patient’s blocked artery to re-establish blood flow.

At Henry Mayo Newhall, the average time to complete this process was 49 minutes, 11 minutes faster than the national standard of 60 minutes.

Officially the center is known as a STEMI (ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction) Receiving Center, or SRC.

“It’s really such a remarkable achievement because we are the newest heart attack receiving center in all of the 36 SRCs within the county,” said Jean Marie Stewart, senior director of the hospital’s Cardiovascular and Imaging Services.  “It’s a direct reflection on the dedication and pursuit of excellence of our team.”

The speed of response, or door-to-balloon time, is critical for the patient’s chance of survival and for the reduction in damage to the heart, according to Dr. Amir Rabbani, Henry Mayo Newhall’s cardiovascular disease and interventional cardiology doctor.

“These statistics really do tell a compelling story of a team dedicated to providing the best care to those in our community,” said Dorinda Perez, clinical coordinator for the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center.

 

College of the Canyons womens basketball coach Greg Herrick, left, talks with Henry Mayo Hospital's Jean Marie Stewart, center, Dustin Ashenfelter, right, and Dr. Behi Rabbani, far right, on Tuesday about the day in September first responders, nurses, and doctors helped save Herrick from a heart attack. Katharine Lotze/Signal
College of the Canyons womens basketball coach Greg Herrick, left, talks with Henry Mayo Hospital’s Jean Marie Stewart, center, Dustin Ashenfelter, right, and Dr. Behi Rabbani, far right, on Tuesday about the day in September first responders, nurses, and doctors helped save Herrick from a heart attack. Katharine Lotze/Signal

Greg Herrick, College of the Canyon’s women’s basketball coach, experienced this personal care first-hand in September when he suffered a heart attack.

Herrick was sitting in his COC office when he began experiencing chest pain and sweating.  He arrived at the hospital at 3:34 p.m. and was on the operating table 30 minutes later.

“All the people involved here were fantastic,” Herrick said.  “It was like a subway in New York; people were moving quickly… I was in getting a procedure done in a short period of time.”

Now, Herrick says he is the No. 1 believer in the hospital’s cardiac unit and cardiac rehab center.  He believes his life is testimony to the success of the program.

“I’m totally appreciative and blessed and grateful to be here,” he said, holding back tears.  “The people over in the cath lab are awesome.”

“It’s somewhat remarkable that we’ve gotten it right so quickly because not only do we have the best door-to-balloon time in Los Angeles County, but we also have the fewest activations,” Rabbani said.

Members of the hospital’s cardiovascular team credit the SRC’s success to a collaborative team effort from beginning to end between emergency response personnel, emergency room staff, cath lab members and interventional cardiologists.

“This type of expertise and care that we’ve really worked to streamline can only be achieved through true teamwork,” Stewart said.  “We’re all so proud to be part of this team and so grateful to be saving lives in the Santa Clarita Valley.”

 

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On Twitter as @_ChristinaCox_

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