Thursday, June 19, 2025
San Juan Regional Medical Center’s EMS Honored for Exceptional Pre-Hospital Heart Attack Care
San Juan Regional Medical Center is proud to announce we have received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMSGold achievement award. This honor highlights our commitment to offering rapid and research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives.
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 award is presented to hospitals for proven dedication to ensuring access to best practices and life-saving care. San Juan Regional Medical Center has earned Mission: Lifeline EMS gold recognition consistently since 2016, demonstrating our commitment to our patients and community by applying the most up-to-date evidence-based treatment guidelines.
“We are honored to once again be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said SJRMC’s EMS Chief William Coker. “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, so patients have the best possible chance of survival.”
The program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment — starting from 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 healthcare systems.
EMS staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone goes to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to provide resuscitation efforts to someone whose heart has stopped. People who arrive by ambulance may also receive faster treatment at the hospital.
“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.”
San Juan Regional Medical Center’s 2025 Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold achievement award includes the Target: Heart Attack Honor Roll distinction which focuses on coordinated systems of care between prehospital agencies and the destination hospital for STEMI and stroke.
“Please join us in congratulating our EMS team for their adherence to exceptional care,” said SJRMC’s President and CEO Jason Rounds. “By participating in the Mission: Lifeline® program, we’ve maintained continued commitment to providing quality care to our communities, leading the way towards better health.”