This is what Lauren Mandel, a local nurse, said when she had a heart attack. Lauren led a healthy lifestyle and was not in a high-risk group for cardiac issues, so this heart attack was a true surprise. But when she felt chest pain she knew where to go.
“The team at St. Luke’s Cornwall brought me right into a bay in the Emergency Room and within minutes everything started happening—they took such good care of me, along with my partner and my friend. They explained everything.”
Emergency Department providers performed a cardio catheterization, found a blockage, and immediately removed it. If her heart blockage had not been found and cleared, Lauren could have….[dire consequence.] Staff designed a long-term treatment plan for Lauren, which required outpatient rehabilitation. She raves about the staff in the rehabilitation department. “They were fantastic…really helpful—and kind.”
She has endured heartbreak before: the figurative kind. Lauren lost one of her children six years ago. “Carrying that around is heavy on your heart and somehow, through this experience at St. Luke’s Cornwall, I felt lighter walking out,” Lauren explained. “Patients sometimes travel needlessly when the services are available right here. St. Luke’s Cornwall is a place you should think of as a first choice…. the excellent care is there.“ Being able to access top-notch emergency care for her heart saved her life.