Cutting Edge Health Care Only a Heartbeat Away in the Best Southwest Partnership Region
Anchored by Methodist Charlton, the region offers standout health care services
Residents of the Best Southwest Partnership region can rest easy knowing they have access to outstanding medical facilities from two local acute care local hospitals with 24-hour emergency departments — Methodist Charlton Medical Center in southern Dallas County and Crescent Medical Center in Lancaster.
Methodist Charlton, with 317 private-room beds, has provided a full array of award-winning services for more than 40 years and is a recipient of the prestigious Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellent Award.
“Methodist Charlton Medical Center is a health care leader in the Best Southwest area,” says Fran Laukaitis, Methodist Charlton president. “We continually demonstrate the ability to provide comprehensive and quality care to our neighbors by seeking and implementing innovative ways to meet the needs of our community. Additionally, we are proud to be a strong corporate partner, employing more than 1,600 of the very best people who work on our campus.”
Opened in 2013, the 84-bed Crescent offers surgical, radiology and diagnostic imaging and critical care services among others, plus a sleep center. A physician roster of more than 160 doctors trained in specialties from cardiology to orthopedics provides care for many patients closer to home.
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‘Fast and Quick’
A prime benefit for residents of the region is access to 24/7 emergency care. Understanding that every tick of the clock is precious when the unexpected happens, the Methodist Charlton Emergency Department is “fast and efficient. We are among the top four emergency departments per volume of patients seen (in the region) and that has made us very lean and mean as far as our efficiency and speed,” says Dr. Jeff Butterfield, an emergency medicine specialist.
The hospital is a Primary Stroke Facility and has a highly skilled medical team in its STEMI Department (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, the most serious type of heart attack), who keenly understand lost minutes mean lost heart muscle. Having an EKG performed and transmitted to the hospital by first-responding paramedics saves valuable time and lives. If necessary, a cardiac catheterization lab team is ready to spring to action.
Methodist Charlton has an average “door-to-balloon” time — from arrival at the hospital to having a stent placed in a blocked artery — of less than one hour, considerably faster than the national average of 90 minutes. The hospital has received honors from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology for its fast response and strictly following established guidelines for stellar treatment.
Methodist Charlton is also one of two Dallas facilities equipped to remove severe plaque from clogged arteries, utilizing a device that uses centrifugal force to remove the blockage.
In its ongoing effort to fight heart disease, the medical center opened the Heart Failure Clinic in fall 2017.
“Heart failure is a public health issue and the Heart Failure Clinic at Methodist Charlton is a game-changer,” says Dr. William Posligua, the medical director of the clinic.
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At the clinic, a specially trained staff works with patients teaching them how to manage risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea and coronary artery disease.
Continuing rehabilitation support is available at the clinic’s fitness center and Fit Zone. Patients diagnosed with later stages of heart disease may benefit from an implanted heart failure monitoring device called CardioMEMS, the first of its kind approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
As part of a nationally accredited Breast Center of Excellence, Methodist Charlton now offers 3-D mammograms which can detect breast cancer much earlier. The center utilizes a multidisciplinary team approach to address various breast issues, using a full complement of diagnostic services, a nurse navigator, a fellowship-trained breast surgeon and support groups, including one for male patients called Men 4 Men.
For more routine care, a large selection of physician’s offices and walk-in clinics are located in the DeSoto Medical District clustered around Methodist Charlton Medical Center, assuring both long-time and new residents that healing hands – are close at hand.