Hoag marks anniversary of Rapid Response program

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian celebrated the success of its Rapid Response Team on Monday, two years since the program was implemented.

The team includes a critical-care nurse, respiratory therapist and critical care physician who can be called immediately to help a patient outside the critical-care units.

Dr. Paul Curry, Hoag’s chief of staff, said the program has cut the mortality rate of “patients who go bad on the floor” by 50%.

“It’s huge in using resources, it’s huge in saving lives, and it’s huge in keeping the morale of our nurses up when they see how we’re doing some wonderful things for the patients,” Curry said.

— Jessie Brunner