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Reprinted with permission, Courtesy, Ocean County Observer.
TOMS RIVER, New Jersey, April 19, 2007 – Patients who are experiencing cardiac arrest and stroke will now be directed to a new emergency trauma center at Community Medical Center. Beginning April 24, a new unit will open within the hospital's emergency department that is designed to offer more effective intervention for patients transported to the hospital via ambulance.
"We wanted to establish a unit that was separate from the area where walk-ins arrive in the minor treatment area of the emergency room," said Patty Napolitano, director of patient care for Community Hospital's Emergency Dept. "Now we'll be able to offer privacy and more immediate attention to our patients."
No small detail has been overlooked in the new construction: Napolitano said planning for the new addition began in 2001, and included such conveniences as a sheltered ambulance entrance to shield patients and emergency responders from the elements upon arrival; an on-site catheter lab for heart patients; and emergency beds in the chest pain and stroke area that are situated in full view of the nurse's station to ensure close and careful monitoring.
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Pattie Napolitano, RN, director of patient care for Community Medical Center's Emergency Dept. explains the new chest pain/stroke unit scheduled to open April 24.
TOM SPADER PHOTO |
The new unit is designed to treat special populations of patients with the following urgent conditions: Cardiac arrest; chest pain; acute stroke; critically ill children; and hemodynamically unstable (or high risk) critically ill patients. There will also be a section of "pods" to treat critical patients that is equipped with a separate, sealed-off section to provide doctors with a quiet, private area to update patients' individual courses of treatment. Additionally, a chest pain and stroke unit and cardiac trauma areas have been constructed to provide appropriate and immediate care to patients; and a six-bed unit for patients who require psychiatric evaluation.
"With this new unit, the appropriate treatment can be offered in a more timely manner," Napolitano said. "Time is of the essence in treating many emergency conditions like stroke and cardiac complaints, and having one central unit will offer faster and better access to treatment."
Studies have shown that treating patients in a timely manner is the key to optimal treatment for a variety of disorders, including heart attacks and stroke.
"Every minute counts when someone is having a stroke," reported the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in a prepared statement. "The longer blood flow is cut off to the brain, the greater the damage. Immediate treatment can save people's lives and enhance their chances for successful recovery."
According to the institute, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in adults. About 600,000 new strokes are reported in the U.S. each year.
"With this new unit, evaluations can be made in a more timely manner," Napolitano said. "Time is of the essence in treating many emergency conditions like stroke and cardiac complaints, and having one central unit will offer faster and better access to treatment."
Kristine Brown, spokeswoman for the St. Barnabas Health Care System, said the volume in the hospital's emergency department continues to rise. She said that Community Medical Center provides care to both a growing senior population in Ocean County and an influx of tourists in the summer.
"We treated 93,000 ER patients (overall) in 2006," she said, adding that about "60-plus" ambulances arrive at Community Medical Center's emergency daily. "And our goal is to be able to provide emergency room care to 120,000 patients a year.
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