Crouse Health Receives Mission: Lifeline Gold Quality Achievement Award

Crouse Health has received the Mission: Lifeline Gold Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association (AHA) for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

Each year in the United States, approximately 250,000 people have a STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (heart attack) caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to immediately restore blood flow, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

AHA’s Mission: Lifeline’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call and continuing through hospital treatment.

Crouse – the only Mission: Lifeline Gold hospital in the region – continues to meet its mission of providing the best in patient care by consistently having the lowest door to balloon times – an average of 39 minutes in 2016. The statewide average is 56 minutes.

Crouse attributes this rapid time to treatment to a team approach that includes community EMS agencies working closely with hospital ER and cardiac care staff to ensure a quick and coordinated patient hand-off process.

Crouse Health earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients by providing emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries when needed. Eligible hospitals must adhere to these measures at a set level for a designated period to receive the awards.