Penn State Hershey Life Lion EMS has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks.
Every year, more than 250,000 people experience a STEMI, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.
Unfortunately, a significant number don't receive this prompt treatment. Mission: Lifeline seeks to save lives by closing the gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes emergency responders for their efforts in improving STEMI systems of care and improving the quality of life for these patients.
“EMS is often a misunderstood profession,” said Scott Buchle, Life Lion program manager. “People don’t realize the cutting edge, aggressive care they have in the region provided by prehospital care providers. Aggressive prehospital STEMI management is just one example of this.”
Emergency medical system providers are vital to the success of Mission: Lifeline. EMS agencies provide access to 12-lead ECG machines (devices that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat and can help medical personnel determine if a heart attack has occurred), and follow protocols derived from American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines. The correct tools and training allow EMS providers to rapidly identify the STEMI, promptly notify the medical center, and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel.
Agencies that receive the Mission: Lifeline Silver award have demonstrated at least 75 percent compliance for each required achievement measure for the entire year, and treat at least eight STEMI patients for the year.
Penn State Hershey Life Lion EMS joins 447 EMS agencies in the U.S. and 62 EMS agencies in Pennsylvania that are receiving the 2015 American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS Performance Achievement Award.
“I’m very proud of our paramedics and EMTs who made this award possible,” Buchle said. “Our EMS team has always been patient advocates with regard to care their profession. Life Lion EMS is proud to join our EMS peers in receiving this award. EMS has long been an advocate of early STEMI recognition and alerting. Now the AHA has provided us a recognition process for our efforts.”