Hackensack Meridian JFK Medical Center Receives American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Award for Improving Emergency Cardiac Care

Hackensack Meridian JFK Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Award for the sixth consecutive year for implementing quality improvement measures to treat patients who experience severe heart attacks.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care according to protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes Hackensack Meridian JFK Medical Center’s emergency medical services for its efforts to improve systems of care and to rapidly identify patients with suspected heart attacks, promptly notify the medical center, and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital care team.

“This prestigious AHA award reflects the high-quality emergency services provided by the Medical Center’s Emergency Medical Services team, and how they bring state-of-the-art cardiac care to patients even before they enter the hospital’s doors,” said Dr. Saleem Husain, MD, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the JFK Medical Center Cardiac Catheterization Lab. The new Lab offers expert, life-saving care and cutting-edge technologies to treat the most complex and serious heart conditions.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience the most life-threatening type of heart attack, an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), which is caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart, requiring timely treatment that can be life-saving. It’s critical to restore blood flow in patients with this condition as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

“I am incredibly proud of our team’s dedication to outstanding patient care,” said Mark Bober, director, Emergency Medical Services of JFK EMS.  “By earning the AHA’s highest possible EMS honors six years in a row, JFK EMS continues to demonstrate our commitment to the highest standards of cardiac care in the communities that depend on us throughout the Hackensack Meridian Health Network.  Thank you to our dispatchers, EMTs, paramedics, and nurses for once again achieving highest honors.”

“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Tim Henry, M.D., Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee, American Heart Association. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient. We applaud Hackensack Meridian JFK Medical Center for achieving this award in following evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”

Safe Care in the Era of COVID-19

JFK Medical Center has implemented many new protocols with safety at the forefront. JFK has separate areas for non-COVID-19 patients, temperature checks for all patients, visitors, team members and physicians, rigorous cleaning and sanitization of our facilities, and much more. Click here to see more ways, JFK Medical Center is keeping its patients and the community safe.

About Hackensack Meridian JFK Medical Center

Serving residents of central New Jersey for more than 50 years, JFK Medical Center offers a complete array of advanced services in its 498-bed facility located in Edison, N.J. With more than 1,000 affiliated physicians, this academic medical center offers a complete spectrum of advanced services including general and specialized surgery, cardiac care, maternity and pediatrics, oncology, imaging, breast center, sleep center, wound care, robotic surgery, emergency medicine, weight loss surgery, radiology, long-term care and assisted living. It is home to the world-renowned Neuroscience Institute that diagnoses and treats brain, spine and nervous system disorders. To learn more, visit JFKMC.org.

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 acute coronary syndrome 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 heart.org.