The Westerly Ambulance Corps, Inc. Earns National Recognition for Efforts to Improve STEMI Treatment |
By President Ron MacDonald III | |
August 27, 2021 | |
The Westerly Ambulance Corps, Inc. has received the 2021 American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver Plus Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures to treat patients who suffer severe heart attacks. The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks – starting from when 9-1-1 is called, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack patients takes coordination between the individual hospital, EMS and healthcare system. “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.” Program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care for STEMI patients. “The Westerly Ambulance Corps, Inc. is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said President Ron MacDonald III. “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis so patients have the best possible chance of survival. We are proud and thankful of the hard work our EMS providers do day in and day out 24/7/365 to care for all of our patients in the community, especially this past year during the COVID-19 pandemic which posed many additional challenges we had to overcome.” |
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