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Home > Blog > Ada County Paramedics Receive American Heart Association Award For Third Year

Ada County Paramedics Receive American Heart Association Award For Third Year

AwardBOISE, June, 2016 —  Ada County Paramedics has been honored with the highest level of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Mission: Lifeline® Quality Achievement Award for two sequential years. The organization also received the Silver level American Heart Association Award for patients seen in 2014, which is a prerequisite for receiving the gold level. The prestigious “Gold” award recognizes the greatest level of success awarded by AHA for improving measures for patients with heart attacks— otherwise known as STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction).

“When Ada County Paramedics identify a STEMI heart attack, we’re able to quickly alert the hospital cardiologist and often bypass the Emergency Department altogether, taking the patient directly to the cardiac cath lab for immediate treatment—which can save precious minutes,” said Hadley Mayes, Public Information Officer for Ada County Paramedics.

Each year, more than 250,000 people experience an STEMI, which is the most deadly type of heart attack caused by a 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 mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said James Jollis, M.D., Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Advisory Working Group. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can shave precious minutes of life-saving treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals. We applaud Ada County Paramedics for achieving this award that shows it meets evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”

“We’re pleased to receive this prestigious award for three sequential years, but positively impacting our STEMI patients’ lives is the greatest reward of all,” Mayes said.

About Ada County Paramedics
For more information, visit www.AdaCountyParamedics.org or call (208) 287-2962. You can also like Ada County Paramedics on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/AdaCountyParamedic or follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AdaParamedics.

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 STEMI 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/missionlifeline and heart.org/quality.