Tuesday, June 5, 2018
SJRMC Receives American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Recognition Award
San Juan Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Award for implementing quality improvement measures to treat patients who experience severe heart attacks. This is the third year in a row we have received this honor.
Every year, more than 250,000 people experience a STEMI, the deadliest type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes emergency medical services for their efforts in improving systems of care to rapidly identify suspected heart attack patients, promptly notify San Juan Regional Medical Center and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel.
“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Tim Henry, M.D., Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient. We applaud San Juan Regional Medical Center for achieving this award in following evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.
Those guidelines include delivering education in STEMI identification; providing access to 12-lead ECGs which measure the electrical activity of the heart and can help determine if a heart attack has occurred; and developing protocols based on American Heart Association guidelines. Following these protocols greatly improves the quality of care and quality of life for patients.
“Our greatest reward is caring for our patients. That’s why we’re committed to turning treatment guidelines into lifelines,” San Juan Regional Medical Center President and CEO Jeff Bourgeois said. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in emergency medical care efforts through Mission: Lifeline.”
About San Juan Regional Medical Center
San Juan Regional Medical Center is a non-profit, acute care hospital and Level III Trauma Center with 194 licensed beds. Our mission is to personalize healthcare and create enthusiasm and vitality in healing. As a sole community provider in San Juan County, we deliver a remarkable range of highly personalized and specialized healthcare services to the people of the entire Four Corners region. San Juan Regional Medical Center, a Certified Primary Stroke Center, is accredited by Det Norske Veritas. More information is available at sanjuanregional.com.
About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for acute coronary syndrome patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit heart.org.