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Rome Memorial Hospital wins AHA award for life-saving heart care

Rome Memorial Hospital Cardiologist and Chief Medical Officer Russell Silverman, M.D. (left), presented the certificate for the Mission: Lifeline Gold Plus Referring Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association to Dr. Andrew Bushnell, medical director of emergency services (right), and Anne Meuchel-House, registered nurse (center), in honor of the team’s achievement. (PHOTO CREDIT: ROME MEMORIAL HOSPITAL)

ROME — Rome Memorial Hospital (RMH) announced it has received the Mission: Lifeline Gold Plus Referring Quality Achievement Award for implementing certain quality-improvement measures defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) for treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks. RMH says it’s the third year in a row that the hospital has been recognized […]

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RMH says it’s the third year in a row that the hospital has been recognized by AHA for saving lives.

Every 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, according to AHA. To prevent death, it’s vital to restore blood flow as rapidly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

AHA’s mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport, and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. The initiative offers tools, training, and other resources to support heart-attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.

RMH says it earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart-attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility.

“Every moment is vital in the event of a heart attack. Our team in the Emergency Department is trained to recognize the signs of a heart attack and implement the standards quickly,” Dr. Andrew Bushnell, medical director of emergency services at RMH, said in a statement. “Our collaboration with EMS providers and other area hospitals ensures that every step of the transfer process is done as efficiently as possible to save lives.”

Rome Memorial Hospital is a nonprofit health-care system providing services to patients throughout Central New York. It is an affiliate of St. Joseph’s Health and an affiliated clinical site of New York Medical College.

Journal Staff