ST. CHARLES, MO — SSM Heart Institute at St. Joseph Health Center recently earned the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Bronze Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes SSM St. Joseph Health Center’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients that effectively improves the survival and care of STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction) patients.
Every year, almost 250,000 people experience the STEMI type of heart attack. Unfortunately, a significant number do not 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 is focusing on improving the system of care for these patients and at the same time improving care for all heart attack patients.
Hospitals involved in Mission: Lifeline strive to improve care in both acute treatment measures and discharge measures. Systems of care are developed that close the gap of timely access to appropriate, life-saving treatments. Before they are discharged, appropriate patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers in the hospital and receive smoking cessation counseling.
Hospitals that receive the Mission: Lifeline Bronze Performance Achievement Award have demonstrated for 90 consecutive days that at least 85 percent of eligible STEMI patients (without contraindications) are treated within specific time frames upon entering the hospital and discharged following the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines.
“The SSM Heart Institute at St. Joseph Health Center is dedicated to making our cardiac services among the best in the country, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that by making it easier for our professionals to improve the outcomes of our cardiac patients,” said Darla Merideth RN, BSN, STEMI coordinator at SSM St. Joseph Health Center. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care.”
About St. Joseph Health Center
Founded in 1885 and located in historic downtown St. Charles, Mo., SSM St. Joseph Health Center is a 364-bed acute care hospital that maintains a state-designated Level II Trauma Center, a nationally accredited Chest Pain Center and Primary Stroke Center and is a recipient of the Premier QUEST High Performing Hospital award. It is a member of SSM Health Care – St. Louis, a Missouri Quality Award winner. The facility offers a broad range of services and programs including SSM Cancer Care, the SSM Heart Institute, the Vascular Institute and SSM Center for Sleep Disorders. Along with SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, SSM St. Joseph Health Center is the largest health care provider serving St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties. For more information about SSM St. Joseph Health Center, visit www.ssmstjoseph.com.
About SSM Heart Institute
A service of SSM Health Care – St. Louis, SSM Heart Institute is the St. Louis region’s most experienced provider of comprehensive heart care. A team of more than 100 skilled cardiologists, electrophysiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons provides the most advanced treatment, advanced techniques and unparalleled experience for the best clinical outcomes. Combined with expert nursing and technical staff, this team offers a full range of services to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease. SSM Heart Institute services are available at five SSM hospitals located in St. Louis and St. Charles counties. For more information, go to www.ssmhealth.com/heart.
About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency 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 www.heart.org/missionlifeline and www.heart.org/quality.
For media inquires only, contact:
Kristen Johnson
Media Relations Specialist
SSM Health Care – St. Louis
314-989-2208 (office)
314-908-0225 (pager)
kristen_johnson@ssmhc.com