Western Medical Center Santa Ana Receives State-of-the-Art Area Lighting Equipment for Triage and Disaster Preparedness

(Santa Ana, CA)- Western Medical Center Santa Ana announced the purchase of several outdoor area lights to enhance their facilities and equipment for emergency preparedness. The lighting will assist doctors, nurses and hospital staff in disaster situations while triaging critical patients once the hospital has reached capacity.

Funding for the lighting equipment was granted by the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), a federally funded initiative that enhances the ability of Orange County hospitals and health care systems to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies, whether naturally occurring or man-made. Under HPP, in addition to funding, the State provides counties with guidance to reach certain critical benchmark requirements including medical surge equipment, patient tracking, interoperable communications, training and exercises.

“During National Preparedness Month, we join our partners like the Orange County Health Care Agency in honing our response capabilities with the addition of these state-of-the-art lighting systems. As the Level II Trauma Center for the central Orange County region, our hospital is prepared to serve an influx of medical emergencies with the latest in technology, comprehensive services, and highest quality of care when our community needs us most,” said Suzanne Richards, CEO, Western Medical Center Santa Ana.

  

Western Medical Center Santa Ana Reaccredited as a Primary Stroke Center

(Santa Ana, CA)- Today, Western Medical Center Santa Ana (WMCSA) officially announced its reaccreditation as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission of Accreditation, Healthcare and Certification. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 20,500 health care organizations and programs in the United States as a reflection of that organization’s commitment to meeting defined performance standards.

“Our highly trained medical staff at Western Medical Center Santa Ana’s Primary Stroke Center are committed to providing critical care services that will diagnose, treat and provide rehabilitation to stroke patients as they enter our emergency room,” Victoria Tomczak, Stroke Coordinator. “Our Primary Stroke Center is trained to recognize medical complications that arise from a patient who has suffered a stroke and adequately treat those patients within the first three hours of symptoms.”

“Time is brain. Most strokes can be treated within 180 minutes of their onset, the specialized stroke centers are key to appropriately recognizing and managing strokes, and their complications,” said Dr. David Lombardi, M.D., one of Orange County’s most experienced neurologists. “Western Medical Center Santa Ana is experienced in orchestrating stroke center protocols that benefit our stroke patients and save lives. The recent reaccreditation as a Primary Stroke Center is a testament to that fact.”

“Western Medical Center Santa Ana is honored to receive reaccreditation as a Primary Stroke Center as we continue our efforts to provide optimal specialty and critical care services to our communities,” said Suzanne Richards, CEO, WMCSA. “Our distinguished team of nurses, physicians and administrative staff continue to strive for excellence in patient care and we look forward to continuing to serve Orange County residents.”

For over 110 years, Western Medical Center Santa Ana has delivered innovative and advanced medical care to the Orange County community. Today, with its 282-licensed bed facility, it provides comprehensive healthcare for the entire family. Western Medical Center Santa Ana is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, licensed by the State of California and approved for the acceptance of Medicare patients.  The hospital is designated by the County of Orange as a Level II Trauma Center and provides emergency services for more than 20,000 patients per year.

Western Medical Center Santa Ana Verified as Level II Trauma Center by American College of Surgeons (ACS)

(Santa Ana, CA)- Today, Western Medical Center Santa Ana (WMCSA) announced its verification as a Level II Trauma Center from the Verification Review Committee, (VRC), a subcommittee of the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons. This re-verification acknowledges Western Medical Center Santa Ana’s long-standing dedication to providing superior care to Orange County residents.

“We are honored to have a world class team of physicians passionate about their work in trauma services for the hospital's patients. Western Medical Center's re-verification as a Level II Trauma Center by ACS is a testament to our team's commitment,” said Dr. Humberto Sauri, Medical Director, Trauma Services, WMCSA.

“Every single day, I work with nurses and hospital staff who strive to deliver the highest level of care to our patients and save lives. Western Medical Center's Level II Trauma Center re-verification is made possible by a team of healthcare professionals devoted to providing excellent critical emergency care,” said Janet Hewson, RN, BSN, PHN, Director, Trauma Services, WMCSA.

 “As one of only three Level II Trauma Centers serving all of Orange County, Western Medical Center Santa Ana continues to strive for excellence in delivering quality critical emergency care to the region,” said Suzanne Richards, CEO of Western Medical Center Santa Ana. “The hospital’s designation is a product of the hard work and dedication of its first rate medical staff, nurses and entire professional team. We are proud Western Medical Center Santa Ana is officially verified as a Level II Trauma Center by ACS, one of our most important designations.”

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College has over 72,000 members and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. Longstanding achievements have placed the ACS in the forefront of American surgery and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.

Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the Committee on Trauma’s Consultation and Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients.

For over 110 years, Western Medical Center Santa Ana has delivered innovative and advanced medical care to the Orange County community. Today, with its 282-licensed bed facility, it provides comprehensive healthcare for the entire family. Western Medical Center Santa Ana is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, licensed by the State of California and approved for the acceptance of Medicare patients.  The hospital is designated by the County of Orange as a Level II Trauma Center and provides emergency services for more than 20,000 patients per year.

Hospital Association of Southern California Honors Western Medical Center Santa Ana for Excellence In Maternity Patient Care

SANTA ANA, CA – Earlier this year, Western Medical Center Santa Ana (WMCSA) was one of only eleven hospitals to earn the “Zero Hero” award for excellence in maternity patient care at the recent Hospital Association of Southern California Patient Safety First conference (HASC PSF).  The award was presented to hospitals that maintained a zero rate for early elective deliveries throughout all four quarters of 2013.

Kelly Wopershall, Director of Perinatal Services at Western Medical Center Santa Ana who received the award on behalf of the hospital, underscored the infinite value of Dr. Peter Anzaldo's leadership and support at the start of the project. “Receiving this award and the recognition for the hard work and collaboration between the Obstetricians, and Labor and Delivery nurses is a tremendous testament to our commitment to our patients,” said Wopershall.

Patient Safety First (funded by Anthem Blue Cross) is a Statewide collaborative of approximately 130 hospitals, facilitated by the three Regional CA Hospital Associations and the HASC cohort of 84 hospitals is led by Julia Slininger, VP for Quality and Patient Safety at HASC.  “The March of Dimes has been an integral partner in the PSF collaborative these past several years, contributing speakers, literature, posters, and other resources,” said Slininger. Dr. Lawrence Veltman was also a key partner in the statewide success, providing Medical Staff education through in-person talks and webinars.

For phase 1 of the PSF project (2010 - 2012), the statewide Early Elective Delivery rate dropped over 70% among hospitals who submitted data. For this Phase 1 achievement as well as similar achievements in preventing device related hospital acquired infection (HAI) and Sepsis Mortality, the PSF Collaborative won the esteemed Eisenberg award at the NQF Conference on Feb 13th in Washington DC for innovative achievement in Quality and Patient Safety on a National Scale.

  

For over 110 years, Western Medical Center Santa Ana has delivered innovative and advanced medical care to the Orange County community. Today, with its 282-licensed bed facility, it provides comprehensive healthcare for the entire family. Western Medical Center Santa Ana is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, licensed by the State of California and approved for the acceptance of Medicare patients.  The hospital is designated by the County of Orange as a Level II Trauma Center and provides emergency services for more than 20,000 patients per year.