Speed of treatment for a heart attack is crucial, says Dr. Ali Homayuni, director for interventional cardiology at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center.
The cardiovascular facility at SMRMC is one of the fastest sites in the state in treating heart attacks with angioplasty and stents, Homayuni told the McComb Rotary Club Wednesday, with a time lapse between a patient arriving and having a procedure completed well under both the national and state averages.
“A lot of good things are happening in our community” in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, said Homayuni, who moved his practice here from New York. “Our institution is doing superior work,” and the SMRMC administration provides the best in state of the art equipment.
“Any piece of equipment I need to make things better, I get,” he said.
Homayuni advised people who suddenly experience chest pains indicative of a heart attack to dial 911 for an ambulance instead of having someone drive them to the hospital. Emergency medical technicians, with equipment on board the ambulances, can start procedures that could save lives.
Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States, he said, and Mississippi leads the nation.
But death rates from the disease in this area have been declining, he noted.
Still more needs to be done, according to the physician, and he advocated banning smoking in all public places.
He also noted the need for more nurse practitioners, primary care physicians and internists in the area.
In addition, he noted a number of working people in the area are without medical insurance. Although they won’t be turned away for treatment at the hospital, some people have to choose between food and needed drugs, he said.
Asked why he moved here from New York, Homayuni attributed his decision to the high amount of cardiovascular disease in Mississippi, and he says he likes the lifestyle here, being able to drive a few minutes to work rather than commute an hour and a half.
He also noted that doctors can earn a good income in McComb.
