EMS receives heart-attack based award

The Wimberley EMS was presented the Silver Plus Mission Lifeline EMS award last week for the organization’s success in treating heart attack victims.

“Mission: Lifeline focuses on saving lives of patients suffering from the most severe form of heart attack, an ST-elevated myocardial infarction, (or STEMI), where the coronary artery is completely and suddenly blocked,” Sarah Duzinski, Regional Director of Quality and Systems Improvement for the American Heart Association, said. “Coordination of care for these patients, requires collaborative systems approach between the public, EMS, and hospitals that can provide the appropriate, acute-level care such as percutaneous coronary intervention or fibrinolytic therapy. As first responders, EMS plays a critical role in the system of care for our most vulnerable cardiovascular patients. EMS quickly identifies a STEMI patient by performing a 12-lead ECG on scene and then rapidly transports the patient to the appropriate hospital for guideline-based care. For our most serious cardiovascular patients, getting time critical diagnostics and care can mean the difference between life or death.”

Duzinski also thanked the Wimberley EMS on a personal note. She has family that lives in Wimberley.

“Twice Wimberley EMS has responded to my family’s home, and one of those times was for a heart attack,” Duzinski said. “You saved the life of our family friend.”

This is the first time the Wimberley EMS has earned this high of an award from the American Heart Association as it relates to STEMI heart attacks.

“This aware is recognition of how great our medics are and how well they do in our community,” Wimberley EMS Executive Director Ken Strange said. “They take care of our people. I think it is recognition of what they do on a daily basis and how well they are prepared and how well they do their job.”