Dorchester County Emergency Medical Service receives American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Recognition Award

SUMMERVILLE, SC – May 5, 2014 – Dorchester County EMS has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® and success in implementing specific quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who suffer a severe heart attack known as a STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction).

Every year, almost 300,000 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 of STEMI patients don’t receive prompt reperfusion therapy, which is critical in restoring blood flow. Mission: Lifeline seeks to save lives by closing the gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. Mission: Lifeline’s new EMS recognition program recognizes those emergency responders for their efforts in improving STEMI systems of care and improving the quality of life for these patients.

Emergency Medical System providers are vital to the success of Mission: Lifeline. EMS agencies provide education in STEMI identification and access to 12-lead ECG machines 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 and 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.

“We commend Dorchester County EMS for this achievement award, which reflects a significant commitment to improve the quality of care for heart attack patients,” said A. Gray Ellrodt, MD, Chair of the Mission: Lifeline committee and Chief of Medicine at the Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass. “All too many heart attack patients in the United States still fail to receive appropriate treatment for their life-threatening condition within the recommended timeframes. We must all continue this important work to streamline and coordinate regional systems of care to save lives and prevent complications.”

“Dorchester County EMS is dedicated to making our unit among the best in the country, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that by implementing processes for improving STEMI systems of care with the goal of improving the quality of care for all STEMI patients,” said Doug Warren, Dorchester County EMS Director. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in emergency medical care for STEMI patients. This award reinforces our commitment to provide the citizens of Dorchester County with the highest level of care possible. We are pleased to be able to partner with Trident Medical Center, MUSC and Roper Hospital to provide this level of excellence in STEMI care to our communities.”

Todd Gallati, CEO of Trident Health added, “We congratulate Dorchester EMS for this achievement. It is a testament to their commitment to emergent heart patients in our community. Our emergency department and heart team at Trident Medical Center have seen firsthand the benefits of the paramedics’ great work.”

“I join in the many who have congratulated EMS. Our citizens and visitors to our county benefit greatly from this level of quality emergency care,” said Jason Ward, County Administrator.

About Dorchester County EMS: Dorchester County EMS, a department of Dorchester

County government, is the exclusive provider of 911 emergency medical services in Dorchester County. One of two EMS agencies in South Carolina that has achieved accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, Dorchester County EMS operates 8 Advanced Life Support, paramedic staffed, ambulances throughout Dorchester County. Dorchester County EMS responds to approximately 15,500 emergency calls per year.

About Mission: Lifeline

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® emergency program helps hospitals and 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.