Thursday, June 2, 2016
SJRMC Recognized for Providing Quality Heart Attack Care
San Juan Regional Medical Center is being honored with the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® Receiving Center Gold Recognition Award for implementing a high quality heart attack care program.
Every year, more than 250,000 people experience a STEMI, the most deadly type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart. In these cases, restoring blood flow as quickly as possible could mean the difference between life and death. The Mission: Lifeline® program sets the bar for hospitals to follow nationally accepted guidelines to ensure that STEMI patients get prompt care, beginning with the 911 call and continuing through hospital treatment.
As a Gold Recognition Award recipient, San Juan Regional Medical Center is part of an elite group of hospitals recognized by the American Heart Association for its quality of heart attack care. In order to earn the award, the hospital had to score 85 percent or higher on specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients over a two year time span.
“San Juan Regional Medical Center is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that goal through nationally respected clinical guidelines,” said Dr. Charles Wilkins, Chest Pain Center Medical Director. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team.”
San Juan Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department also received a Mission: Lifeline® Gold Award this year for implementing quality improvement measures to treat patients experiencing severe heart attacks.