For the better part of a decade, the Pocatello Fire Department and Bannock County Ambulance have earned recognition for their cardiac patient care.
Recently, the department received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline ® EMS Gold Plus Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures to treat patients who suffer severe heart attacks. 2021 marks the seventh straight year the Pocatello Fire Department and Bannock County Ambulance has earned a Mission: Lifeline ® Award.
“I am proud of the hard work, training, and professionalism our responders have shown over the last seven years to be recognized for this level of service,” said Pocatello Fire Department Chief David Gates. “We’re honored to be acknowledged by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing the best care possible for heart attack patients.”
According to the American Heart Association, each year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.
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.”
For more information on the Pocatello Fire Department, visit pocatello.us/fire.