The Georgia Department of Public Health’s Office of Cardiac Care has redesignated Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center as a Level I Emergency Cardiac Care Center, recognizing the hospital’s commitment to excellence in emergency cardiac care. The hospital has held the designation since 2020. 

“This designation truly reflects Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center’s continued commitment to excellence in emergency cardiac care,” said Atrium Health Navicent Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Sanford G. Duke. “We’re constantly driving for excellence in our journey to improve survival rates from heart attacks and out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, and to provide the very best cardiac care.” 

Established in 2017, the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Office of Cardiac Care seeks to improve survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and heart attacks through quality improvement, benchmarking and guidelines supported by standardized data collection. Hospitals that meet certain criteria are designated as Emergency Cardiac Care Centers. 

As part of the process to receive the designation, hospitals must submit heart attack and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest data to the Georgia Cardiac Registry and provide additional data that helps measure performance and provides insight to improve future patient outcomes. 

By having a state system of Emergency Cardiac Care Centers, local ambulance services are equipped with knowledge to ensure patients receive the proper level of treatment quickly, saving lives, reducing disability and improving quality of life. 

Atrium Health Navicent offers world-class cardiac care close to home at the Atrium Health Navicent Luce Heart Institute. Atrium Health Navicent is one of only four hospital systems in the nation — and the only one in Georgia — to receive the triple crown of heart accreditations by the American College of Cardiology. These designations include Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation, Heart Failure Accreditation and Atrial Fibrillation with EPS Accreditation. 

Atrium Health Navicent was one of the first in the region to implement the use of the Watchman device for people with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). This procedure is one of several ways patients can get specialized care at the Structural Heart and Valve Clinic at Atrium Health Navicent, one of only two such clinics south of Atlanta, and the only one in our region to offer Transaortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). 

The Atrium Health Navicent Luce Heart Institute, located at Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center, has a helipad and quick access to Interstate 75, making it easily accessible for patients and their family members. For patients recovering from heart attacks or heart surgery, Atrium Health Navicent Heart & Vascular Care's Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program has a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, counselors, nurses, dieticians and therapists to take care of VAD patients. It’s one of only two such programs south of Atlanta. 

To find a doctor, visit www.NavicentHealth.org and click “Find A Doctor.”