Medical Center EMS Nationally Recognized for Its Commitment to Quality Care for Severe Heart Attacks in Southcentral Kentucky
Medical Center EMS has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attack, ultimately saving lives.
Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone goes to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to provide resuscitation efforts to someone whose heart has stopped. People who arrive by ambulance may also receive faster treatment at the hospital.
Mission: Lifeline EMS® is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to advance the system of care for patients with high-risk, time-sensitive disease states, such as severe heart attacks and strokes. The program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment — starting from when 911 is called, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack and stroke patients takes coordination between the individual prehospital providers and healthcare systems.
“The recognition is validation of the training and focus that we put into our efforts to help minimize the time it takes to care for those who have suffered a heart attack,” said Scott Ford, Paramedic, Field Supervisor with Medical Center EMS. “We train our EMTs, Advanced EMTs, and Paramedics routinely in providing the most up-to-date care and to utilize modern technology. By training our providers to quickly recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attacks, the patients receive the appropriate care and move much more quickly through the healthcare system, giving the patient the most efficient care possible. The ultimate goal is to minimize any damage that may occur to the heart of those suffering heart attacks and to give the patient the best chance for a positive outcome.”
The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS awards are an important way to recognize the crucial roles and performances of EMS personnel in stroke and cardiac patients’ care. The Mission: Lifeline EMS achievement award focuses on agencies’ on-scene care, bringing to the forefront the collaboration and contributions to patient care for prehospital providers.
Mission: Lifeline EMS® recognition is the American Heart Association’s program that recognizes prehospital emergency agencies for their quality of care for heart attack and stroke patients. The recognition program focuses on transforming care quality by connecting all heart attack and stroke care components into a seamlessly integrated care system. Key tenets of these systems of care reinforce evidence-based guidelines and measure performance, identify gaps, and engage in quality improvement.