Chest Pain Center

Not everyone’s heart attack starts the same way but most heart attacks do involve chest discomfort of one kind or another. And if you’re one of the five million Americans who will visit a hospital for chest pain this year, know this: Hillcrest is one of only 3 hospitals in the entire state that has been granted designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

For patients – our chest pain center means good news -- since accreditation means the hospital meets or exceeds stringent criteria for heart-related diagnosis, treatment and education. This includes a rapid evaluation for all patients who present with chest pain and the ability to offer state-of-the-art angioplasty and stenting of the blocked artery to those who are having an acute heart attack.

Time is precious when you’re having a heart attack. Quick response and treatment helps reduce damage to the heart. That’s why we measure “door-to-wire” time -- the time from when a patient arrives in our emergency room to the time a wire crosses over blockage in the heart. Hillcrest boasts some of the fastest response times in the region.