Southwest Dallas Health Care Is Thriving
Learn how hospitals in Southwest Dallas County are providing exemplary care in the community.
Residents in the Best Southwest Partnership region can find cutting-edge health care, including the latest technologies and treatments, close to home. Two hospitals, Methodist Charlton Medical Center and Crescent Medical Center Lancaster, serve the area, both dedicated to providing the highest possible level of care and offering specialized care such as diagnostic services and acute care, as well as having high-quality emergency departments. Fran Laukaitis, president of Methodist Charlton, says that one of the achievements of which the hospital is most proud is its “door to balloon time” – how health professionals describe the length of time it takes to get a person having a heart attack from home to the catheter lab where he or she can be treated.
“The national benchmark is 90 minutes,” Laukaitis says. “Our shortest time to date is 12 minutes. We have some of the shortest times out there. Another point of pride for the staff at Methodist Charlton is the hospital’s recent national accreditation for breast cancer care. According to the American College of Surgeons, which operates the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), accreditation is granted only to those centers that have voluntarily committed to providing the best in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and are able to comply with established NAPBC standards. Those standards are rigorous, and accredited centers must undergo an on-site review every three years in order to maintain accreditation. The hospital recently expanded its intensive care unit, upgrading equipment and adding eight more beds. “As a community hospital we are here to serve the needs of the community,” Laukaitis says. The community surrounding Methodist Charlton is diverse, with businesses, neighborhoods, as well as a population that could be underserved. There are nursing homes within the community, and a population of chronically ill patients.
The emergency department was the second-busiest in the Dallas area during the last year, with only Baylor seeing more emergency patients. Opened in 2013, Crescent is relatively new. As the only hospital in the City of Lancaster, it fills a vital need for health care in the vibrant and growing community. The communities of DeSoto, Red Oak, Wilmer, Hutchins, Glenn Heights and Ferris benefit from having a reliable, high-quality health-care facility nearby. Dr. Khalid Mahmood, president of Crescent, notes the hospital provides a wide variety of services, which benefits the region. With more than 150 physicians specializing in 17 areas, residents have options for care without needing to travel far. “The goal is for our patients to be able to have most of their health-care needs met here,” he says. The facility includes an emergency department. Staff is proud of the fact that fewer than 1 percent of the patients seen in the Crescent ED need to be transferred to other facilities for a higher level of care. Acute care available at Crescent includes two surgical suites and an intensive care unit. Crescent also offers three hospital-based clinics, a full-service sleep lab and outpatient psychiatric services.close to home. Two hospitals, Methodist Charlton Medical Center and Crescent Medical Center Lancaster, serve the area, both dedicated to providing the highest possible level of care and offering specialized care such as diagnostic services and acute care, as well as having high-quality emergency departments. Fran Laukaitis, president of Methodist Charlton, says that one of the achievements of which the hospital is most proud is its “door to balloon time” – how health professionals describe the length of time it takes to get a person having a heart attack from home to the catheter lab where he or she can be treated. “The national benchmark is 90 minutes,” Laukaitis says.
“Our shortest time to date is 12 minutes. We have some of the shortest times out there.” Another point of pride for the staff at Methodist Charlton is the hospital’s recent national accreditation for breast cancer care. According to the American College of Surgeons, which operates the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), accreditation is granted only to those centers that have voluntarily committed to providing the best in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and are able to comply with established NAPBC standards. Those standards are rigorous, and accredited centers must undergo an on-site review every three years in order to maintain accreditation. The hospital recently expanded its intensive care unit, upgrading equipment and adding eight more beds. “As a community hospital we are here to serve the needs of the community,” Laukaitis says. The community surrounding Methodist Charlton is diverse, with businesses, neighborhoods, as well as a population that could be underserved. There are nursing homes within the community, and a population of chronically ill patients. The emergency department was the second-busiest in the Dallas area during the last year, with only Baylor seeing more emergency patients.
Crescent Medical Center Lancaster
Opened in 2013, Crescent is relatively new. As the only hospital in the City of Lancaster, it fills a vital need for health care in the vibrant and growing community. The communities of DeSoto, Red Oak, Wilmer, Hutchins, Glenn Heights and Ferris benefit from having a reliable, high-quality health-care facility nearby. Dr. Khalid Mahmood, president of Crescent, notes the hospital provides a wide variety of services, which benefits the region. With more than 150 physicians specializing in 17 areas, residents have options for care without needing to travel far. “The goal is for our patients to be able to have most of their health-care needs met here,” he says. The facility includes an emergency department. Staff is proud of the fact that fewer than 1 percent of the patients seen in the Crescent ED need to be transferred to other facilities for a higher level of care. Acute care available at Crescent includes two surgical suites and an intensive care unit. Crescent also offers three hospital-based clinics, a full-service sleep lab and outpatient psychiatric services.