| January 1, 2009 |
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DR. BENSON TAKES REIGNS AS ER MEDICAL DIRECTOR |
BOARD CERTIFIED IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE |
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Dr. Benson Takes Reigns as New Year Begins
New ED Medical Director, board certified in Emergency Medicine
WAYNESBURG, PA – On January 3, Dr. Scott Benson, assumed the medical directorship at Southwest Regional Medical Center’s emergency department. Dr. Benson replaced Dr. Michael Owens, who left last month to assume a position in North Carolina.
Prior to working with Southwest Regional Medical Center, Dr. Benson was an emergency physician for Monongalia General Hospital in Morgantown, WV. He is board certified in emergency medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Benson is a clinical instructor for the WVU Department of Emergency Medicine and Medical Director of EMS for Monongalia County WV.
“I am so impressed with the progressive environment of the emergency department and I look forward to being part of it all,” shared Dr. Benson. “There is incredible commitment from the doctors, staff and EMS providers in the county to offer the best care possible for this community.”
One of Dr. Benson’s first goals is to fine tune the EXPRESS CARE program in the emergency department. This program is designed for those seeking care for less severe ailments such as colds, flu, sprains, strains and ear infections. The goal is to have patients in and out in less than an hour. Many EXPRESS CARE patients are treated by a physician assistant and overseen by the attending emergency department physician. In addition to Dr. Benson, two new full time physician assistants will be starting later this month.
“We are very committed to making EXPRESS CARE the best that it can be. We pledge to offer fast, convenient and, most importantly, quality care for our community,” continued Benson. “We are grateful to the community for the success of the program and appreciate the support offered throughout this transition.”
Another goal is to fully implement a new STEMI (ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction) Management System in conjunction with EMS Southwest. The STEMI Management System is a program designed to significantly reduce the time it takes for patients experiencing a heart attack to receive appropriate treatment during the critical early stages, when treatments are most effective.
The program allows EMS Southwest providers to wirelessly transmit EKG’s to the physician at the hospital before even leaving the patient’s home. The physician will direct the paramedic as to the best option for treatment. If a heart attack is suspected, plans will be made to facilitate the patient’s admission to an appropriate treatment facility for catheterization. Although chest pain is one of the most common complaints of patients presenting to the emergency department, only 10 – 15 percent of patients with chest pain are actually suffering from a heart attack.
“I have worked with the STEMI Management System for a very long time and have seen it save many lives,” shared Benson. “Greene County will be one of the first counties in the state to offer this level of care.”
Southwest Regional Medical Center is a 69-bed community based hospital with a full service emergency department. In January 2008, EXPRESS CARE was added as a service of the department. EXPRESS CARE was established to treat sprains, strains, flu, colds, ear infections and other minor ailments. Most patients are in and out in less than one hour.
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