Geisinger Medical Centers Nationally Recognized for Quality Heart Attack Care

Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, Geisinger Medical Center in Danville and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre have received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus recognition.

The three Joint Commission/American Heart Association Comprehensive Heart Attack Centers and Mission: Lifeline Receiving Centers were recognized for delivering rapid, evidence-based care to people having the type of heart attack known as ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), which is known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.

All three medical centers are perennial recipients of Mission: Lifeline honors, but this is Geisinger Community Medical Center’s first year achieving Gold Plus recognition.

Each year, about 285,000 people in the U.S. experience a STEMI,caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. Like all heart attacks, this requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

“When one of our patients is having a heart attack, it’s important that we move quickly, move together, and deliver treatment that gives them the best chance at survival and recovery,” said Cinde Bower-Stout, manager of cardiovascular quality at Geisinger.

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.

Recognition as a Mission: Lifeline Receiving Center is designed to showcase hospitals that provide 24/7 support for STEMI. Accredited facilities coordinate with a network of referring hospitals and emergency medical services to provide guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care.

“We are dedicated to always improving coordination among our teams and always delivering the latest, evidence-based care to heart attack patients,” said Vishal Mehra, M.D., Ph.D., director of cardiovascular quality at Geisinger. “The Mission: Lifeline initiative helps us achieve our goals by offering guidelines to follow on a daily basis as we focus on making better health easier for our patients.”