Dameron Hospital | Health Outlook | Fall 2019

4 HEALTH OUTLOOK Complete range of emergency services available to you 24/7 ACCIDENTS and illness happen 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. When it happens to you or your loved ones, Dameron Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) is ready to care for you. We offer a broad spectrum of emergency services, and we strive to provide an extraordinary level of care, compassion, knowledge and skill to treat critical and acute illnesses and injuries of all types. Wide range of services and capabilities Dameron Hospital offers our patients a comprehensive selection of emergency medical services, including: TRIAGE: The triage process helps our emergency staff decide which patients should be treated first. Patients with critical or life-threatening illnesses are given top priority. We make every effort to connect you with a physician or care provider as quickly as possible. Patients with less severe injuries or illnesses are sent to our Fast Track, so they can be treated and discharged more quickly. FAST TRACK: The Fast Track area of our ED is equipped to care competently and efficiently for patients with less acute illnesses and injuries. The Fast Track is separate from the ED and is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. It is staffed by medical professionals who can provide the care you need faster so you can go home and begin feeling better sooner. DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING: Dameron Hospital offers in-house, advanced imaging technology to enable doctors and staff to make quicker diagnoses, so you can get the treatment you need EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT SERVICES Comprehensive and efficient emergency care as quickly as possible. Diagnostic tests may include x-rays, CT scans, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, or other radiology tests that will help your physician decide on the best course of treatment. CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LAB: Our cardiac catheterization or cath lab is comprised of two suites and an electrophysiology (EP) lab. Our lab is used primarily to treat patients with symptoms of a heart attack and perform procedures such as an emergency angioplasty or percutaneous coronary intervention (also known as emergency PCI; see STEMI designation below). This procedure involves inserting an image-guided catheter into a patient’s arteries, finding the blood clot that is causing the heart attack, clearing the clot, and, finally, inserting a balloon device and stent to keep the artery open. The lab also features the region’s first peripheral lumivascular catheter system, which is used to restore blood flow in completely blocked arteries in the legs (peripheral artery disease, or PAD) using leading-edge technology. DESIGNATED STEMI HEART ATTACK RECEIVING CENTER: The San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency has named Dameron as an ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, or STEMI (heart attack), receiving center. Patients who show symptoms of an acute heart attack (or acute myocardial infarction) when tested by paramedics with an EKG are immediately brought to Dameron for care. Our ED has met the rigorous guidelines to receive this designation, including meeting the 90-minute goal of restoring blood flow. COMPREHENSIVE STROKE CARE: Designated as a “Primary Stroke Center” and recipient of the American Heart Association/