Catawba County News

AHA Mission: Lifeline EMS Award

Published: July 13, 2023

Catawba County Emergency Medical Services nationally recognized for its commitment to quality care for heart attacks and strokes in Catawba County.

Catawba County Emergency Medical Services has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attack and stroke

Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone goes to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to provide resuscitation efforts to someone whose heart has stopped. People who arrive by ambulance may also receive faster treatment at the hospital.

Mission: Lifeline EMS® is the American Heart Association's national initiative to advance the system of care for patients with high-risk, time-sensitive disease states, such as severe heart attacks and strokes. The program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment — starting from when 911 is called, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack and stroke patients takes coordination between the individual prehospital providers and health care systems.

The Mission: Lifeline EMS achievement award focuses on agencies’ on-scene care, bringing to the forefront the collaboration and contributions to patient care for prehospital providers.  

“Catawba County EMS is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said Sylvia Fisher, EMS Manager. “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis so patients have the best possible chance of survival.”

Catawba County Emergency Medical Services is also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline System of Care Target: Heart Attack award, focused on the system of care for patients. This award highlights the collaboration and contributions of both prehospital and hospital providers. This time-critical award level is limited to those agencies that provide patient transport to STEMI-receiving and STEMI-referring centers.