Each year, about 285,000 people in the U.S. experience this type of heart attack, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery.1 Nearly 40% of people who go to the emergency room with acute coronary syndrome are diagnosed with a STEMI. Like all heart attacks, this requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

Mission: Lifeline is a national, community-based initiative improving systems of care for patients with STEMI, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), stroke and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The program focuses on streamlining processes to speed the delivery of proper treatment for time sensitive, neuro-cardiovascular disease states.

Recognition as a Mission: Lifeline Referring Center is designed to showcase hospitals of every size on the front lines of care that do not have 24/7 cardiac catheterization lab availability but work in collaboration with emergency medical services to ensure patients receive guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care.

The Mission: Lifeline Referring Center award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to getting patients the most up-to-date research-based care for STEMI as outlined by the American Heart Association.

“Wadley at Hope is dedicated to improving the quality of heart care, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps us achieve that goal,” said Dr. Ronald Exum, Medical Director of the Wadley at Hope ER. “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, so our patients have the best possible chance of survival.”