Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta (LLUMC-M) has received accreditation from the County of Riverside, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency, as a designated STEMI Receiving Center—the first and only hospital in the Murrieta area with a designation of this kind.
This designation brings to Murrieta and the surrounding community life-saving care to those who are suffering from ST Elevated Myocardial Infarctions—the most deadly form of heart attacks. The designation became effective on August 20 after a successful survey with EMS officials on August 15.
“Receiving accreditation as a STEMI receiving center is a vital step for our growth as a cardiac provider,” said LLUMC-Murrieta CEO, Rick Rawson. “It is absolutely life-saving for those who need this care. When a person experiences a STEMI, it is essential for the patient to receive immediate interventions. Individuals in the area have had to endure long transports to appropriate facilities for their care, but now they have what they need closer to home.”
Healthcare data show that approximately 20-30 patients per month suffering from a STEMI in the Murrieta area have had to be transported out of town—more than 30 miles away—for appropriate, interventional care. Now, with this accreditation, those patients will be brought to LLUMC-Murrieta.
Matt Shobert, Fire Chief, Murrieta Fire Department, said of the new accreditation, “Simply stated, this means more lives saved in the Murrieta Valley. We congratulate Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta for this important milestone and are delighted to have been working with them. We look forward to an ongoing partnership with the hospital to continue saving lives in our community.”
“This accreditation is an important step in our ability to care for the members of our community,” said Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj, Medical Director LLU International Heart Institute, “and will allow us to work closely with our first responders in the critical emergency of STEMI.”
In April 2012, LLUMC-Murrieta become a licensed provider of interventional cardiology, and to date, over 120 open heart procedures have been performed at LLUMC-M and more than 70 patients suffering from heart attacks have been cared for at the hospital.
A STEMI results from the partial interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart muscle, damaging heart cells. The resulting oxygen shortage can cause the heart muscle to die. Patients experiencing a STEMI are at risk for developing sudden cardiac arrest and need to be transported immediately to a facility that can provide interventional care, stents, angioplasty or even an open heart surgery.
Photo Caption: Mayor of Murrieta, Rick Gibbs, congratulates LLUMC-Murrieta for being designated as a STEMI Receiving Center by the County of Riverside, Emergency Medical Services Agency at a press conference at the hospital on Wednesday, August 28. In the back, Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj and LLUMC-Director of Marketing and Communications, Kathryn Stiles look on during the proud moment.