Frisbie Memorial Hospital, part of HCA Healthcare, has received the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Achievement Award for its commitment to offering rapid and research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives. This is the second consecutive year that the hospital has received the recognition.
The Gold-level award is the highest recognition awarded by the AHA to EMS departments and organizations for implementing heart and stroke quality-improvement measures that improve outcomes and save lives.
“Frisbie Memorial Hospital is honored to once again be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack and stroke patients,” said Tom Bowden, chief executive officer of Frisbie Memorial Hospital. “Our EMS team is dedicated to providing quality emergency medical care to our community and with the Mission: Lifeline EMS program, proven knowledge and guidelines are put to work on a daily basis so patients have the best possible chance of survival.”
Frisbie Memorial Hospital’s ambulance service has been providing 911 services to the Greater Rochester community since 1985 and responds to nearly 7,000 calls per year.
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 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 health care systems.
“Arguably the most important link in the chains of survival for acute stroke and cardiovascular emergencies is emergency medical services and prehospital professionals,” said Kacey Kronenfeld, M.D., FAEMS, chair of the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Taskforce. “Early condition identification, stabilization and prehospital interventions, and initiation of actions within the regional systems of care provide patients with the best chance for receiving expedient definitive therapies leading to optimal outcomes and maximized quality of life.”
Approximately 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes occur each year in the United States. More than 800,000 people die from cardiovascular disease annually with heart attacks and strokes contributing significantly to this mortality rate. Access to timely treatment and advanced medical care is critical to improving patient outcomes and mortality rates.
