10 Years of the Gill Affiliate Network: Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center
The Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Affiliate Network launched in 2014 to better connect community hospitals across the Commonwealth with the expertise and resources available at UK HealthCare. Throughout 2024, UK HealthCare is highlighting achievements by the 23 members of the Gill Affiliate Network (GAN) as part of the network’s 10th anniversary celebration.
Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center, based in Danville, Ky., has served the region since 1918. Its cardiovascular program, which became GAN’s 15th member in February 2019, combines patient-centered care with talented doctors and advanced medical technology.
What are key aspects of your cardiovascular program that you would like people to know?
Our cardiologists have led the state in first-of-its-kind treatments for peripheral artery disease. As a result, we are able to save patients’ lives and limbs. The cardiac cath labs at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center are some of the most advanced in Kentucky. In addition, the hospital’s vascular lab and echocardiography lab are nationally accredited. Because of these, patients can receive the best care close to home.
We provide patients with a full range of cardiac care services. Our providers diagnose and treat most diseases of the heart and circulatory system. Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center, Ephraim McDowell James B. Haggin Hospital (Harrodsburg) and Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital (Stanford) are all accredited as a Chest Pain Center, with EMRMC accredited as a Chest Pain Center with PCI. This means we meet or exceed benchmarks for rapidly diagnosing and treating patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack, thus reducing deaths and major adverse events.
What has your experience as a member of the Gill Affiliate Network been like?
We are proud to be a member of the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute Affiliate Network. Because of this affiliation, we have access to cardiovascular-specific education and training programs for our physicians, nurses and staff. As a result, our providers are up-to-date with the most current resources and information. It allows us to provide the right care in the right place at the right time. Patients benefit by having access to programs and services that may not be available in our local community.
How has being part of the network influenced how you care for those in your community?
GAN has helped us gain resources from a leading academic healthcare system. Recently, we have started addressing our observation admission times. GAN was able to connect us with similar hospital systems that have worked to reduce their admission times. This helped us create a specialized unit to monitor and improve the flow of our patients.
The recent addition of the GAN Quality Committee has provided a valuable tool that allows committee members to compare and share our data. They have also provided those facilities that have succeeded with the resources to improve the care they provide.
