The Stevens Point Fire Dept. / Portage County Ambulance has achieved the 2015 Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver Level Recognition Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks.
The criteria to achieve the Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver award is based on meeting the achievement measures annually with no single measure scoring below 75%. The individual measures are:
• Percentage of patients with non-traumatic chest pain over 35 years of age, treated and transported by EMS who receive a pre-hospital 12 Lead ECG.
• Percentage of STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment) patients transported to a STEMI Receiving Center, with pre-hospital First Medical Contact (FMC) to Device (PCI) under 90 Minutes.
• Percentage of STEMI patients transported to a STEMI Referring Center with Arrival (to Referring Center) to Fibrinolytic Therapy administration in under 30 Minutes.
The American Heart Association recognizes the vital importance Emergency Medical System providers provide to the overall success of Mission: Lifeline STEMI Systems of Care. The correct tools and training allow EMS providers to rapidly identify the STEMI, promptly notify the destination center and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel.
As an EMS agency that delivers education in STEMI identification, provides access to 12 lead ECG machines and develops protocols derived from ACC/AHA STEMI Guidelines, Stevens Point Fire / Portage County Ambulance medics are driving improvements in the care and outcomes of STEMI patients.