LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) -
Within Memorial's service
area, the prevalence of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and obesity is higher
than the state average. The statistics for smoking, high cholesterol, high
blood pressure and residents who do not regularly exercise are also higher in
deep East Texas than across the state. Angelina County ranks 177 out of 221
counties in Texas for poor health.
Armed with this alarming
information, the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center (MDHVC) and
Memorial Health System of East Texas joined together for a three-year
collaboration to announce the East Texas Heart & Vascular Initiative. The
overall goal of the initiative is to elevate the level of heart and vascular
care to the residents of deep East Texas by offering skills training
specifically designed for the Memorial physicians and staff and educating the
public about prevention of heart and vascular disease.
Funded by the T.L.L. Temple
Foundation, the Heart & Vascular Initiative follows Memorial's highly
successful Stroke Initiative, which is still in progress. The Heart &
Vascular Initiative was originally presented to the T.L.L. Temple Foundation in
November 2011 and was approved for funding in February 2012. The initiative
will be funded with a $3.5 million grant for the next three years.
At the program's core, the
Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center will provide cutting-edge skills
training and education designed specifically for heart and vascular
professionals at Memorial. Memorial will also have unlimited access to MDHVC
specialists and resources through a 24-hour direct referral line with remote
viewing and conference capabilities. This will allow MDHVC professionals to
assist Memorial providers in locally treating challenging cases. Clinical
staffs in both hospitals will work side by side to bring the latest, most
advanced training to the East Texas region. Memorial physicians will also have
access to MDHVC's extensive symposia and conferences.
In creating a center of
excellence, Dr. David Ladden, a cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgeon joined
Memorial in September 2011. Dr. Ladden brings with him extensive experience in
minimally invasive surgeries with outstanding results. EVAR, or Endovascular
Aneurysm Repair, indicated for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and TEVAR, or Thoracic
Endovascular Aneurysm Repair, indicated for Aortic Dissection are new and
exciting procedures that Memorial is beginning to offer. The endovascular
procedure for varicose veins, an area seeing explosive growth in terms of
demand, especially among women, is in place and fully functioning at Memorial,
thanks to Dr. Ladden and the Heart & Vascular Initiative.
In addition to intensive
training and education for Memorial professionals, the Heart & Vascular
Initiative will provide extensive community outreach and heart and vascular
disease education to local population. Due to the high numbers of those in poor
health from the local community, a full-time educator will join the Memorial
staff to educate and provide valuable information to the public in order to
increase awareness and teach prevention strategies for heart and vascular
disease.
The new Critical Care
Educator at Memorial – a position created and funded by the initiative – will
also develop core nursing competencies to reinforce learning and skill
enhancement, coordinate training, and be responsible for the development of
annual education programs for Memorial's clinical staff.
Through the help of MDHVC,
Memorial will seek numerous nationally recognized certifications for the
Vascular Lab, Chest Pain Center and the Heart Failure/Acute Coronary Syndrome
program. By the end of this month, Memorial will be fully prepared to seek an
accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers, an international
not-for-profit organization committed to leading the fight to eliminate heart
disease as the number one cause of death worldwide.
Once achieved, Memorial
will be the only institution within an 80-mile radius to hold these multiple,
advanced certifications.
