Elmhurst Memorial honored with Mission: Lifeline Quality Achievement Award

Elmhurst Memorial Hospital has received the Mission: Lifeline Silver Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

Each year in the U.S., approximately 250,000 people have a STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment.  To prevent death, it’s critical to immediately restore blood flow, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals, emergency medical services and communities improve response times so people who suffer from a STEMI receive prompt, appropriate treatment.  The program’s goal is to streamline systems of care to quickly get heart attack patients from the first 9-1-1 call to hospital treatment.

“Elmhurst Memorial is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that goal through internationally respected clinical guidelines,” said Parul Patel, RN, MS, MBA, Program Director, Cardiology Services, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.  “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team.”

Elmhurst Memorial earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients to open the blocked artery.  Before patients are discharged, they are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, and they receive smoking cessation counseling if needed.  Eligible hospitals must adhere to these measures at a set level for a designated period to receive the awards.

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 Foundation clinical treatment guidelines.  For more information, visit www.heart.org/missionlifeline and www.heart.org/quality.

Founded in 1926, Elmhurst Memorial opened a new state-of-the-art acute care hospital in 2011, featuring 259 private patient rooms, a modern emergency department and technologically advanced surgical suites.  Elmhurst Memorial merged with Edward Hospital & Health Services in 2013 to create one of the larger integrated health systems in Illinois.  Elmhurst Memorial is one of 20 hospitals worldwide designated as a Planetree patient-centered healthcare organization, earned an "A" for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group in 2014 and has also been named a Most Wired hospital by the American Hospital Association.  For more information, visit www.emhc.org.