AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center earns American Heart Association awards

Mission: Lifeline® awards recognize commitment to providing quality care

for heart attack and stroke patients

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (ARMC) has earned two American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline® quality achievement awards. The following recognitions demonstrate AtlantiCare’s commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital.

• 2023 Mission: Lifeline^® STEMI Receiving Gold Plus award - ARMC Mainland Campus, Pomona, NJ, home of AtlantiCare’s Heart and Lung Institute

The award recognizes ARMC’s commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack called ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks. ARMC provides 24/7 support for STEMI, coordinating with a network of referring hospitals and emergency medical services (EMS) to provide guideline-directed STEMI and Non-STEMI care.

• 2023 Mission: Lifeline^® EMS Gold award with Target: Heart Attack Honor Roll - ARMC Emergency Medical Services

This award recognizes the advance the system of care ARMC provides patients with high-risk, time-sensitive disease states, including severe heart attacks and strokes. 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.

“We are committed to improving, and ensuring timely and proper care for heart attacks and strokes,” said Larisa Goganzer, MSN, RN, FACHE, chief operating officer, ARMC. “Our team uses the Mission: Lifeline programs to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis. This helps us ensure more people experience longer, healthier lives. These recognitions are a testament to the teamwork of hundreds of individuals at AtlantiCare in meeting or exceeding care recommendations. They unite to save lives of, and make lives healthier for, individuals in the community, in the hospital and after discharge. They also focus on shortening recovery times and preventing readmissions to the hospital for our patients through use of the Mission: Lifeline programs.”

According to the American Heart Association:

• Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack
• Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively.
• Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.

Mission: Lifeline puts the expertise of the American Heart and American Stroke associations to work for hospitals nationwide. It helps ensure patient care is aligned with the latest evidence- and research-based guidelines. As a participant in the Mission: Lifeline program, ARMC qualified for the awards by demonstrating how it has committed to improving quality care.

“We’re pleased to recognize ARMC for its commitment to caring for those in their community who need cardiovascular care,” said John Warner, M.D., FAHA, past president, American Heart Association, and CEO, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Hospitals that follow the American Heart Association’s quality improvement protocols often see improved patient outcomes, fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates – a win for healthcare systems, families and communities.”

“The most important link in the chains of survival for acute stroke and cardiovascular emergencies is emergency medical services and prehospital professionals,” said Edward Jauch, M.D., MS, MBA, chair, Department of Research, University of North Carolina Health Sciences at Mountain Area Health Center. “Early condition identification, stabilization and prehospital interventions, and initiation of actions within the regional systems of care provide patients with the best chance for receiving expedient definitive therapies leading to optimal outcomes and maximized quality of life.

“When it comes to symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, remember, dial 911 immediately,” said Goganzer.

About AtlantiCare

AtlantiCare is an integrated healthcare system based in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, whose more than 6,000 staff, providers, and volunteers serve the community in more than 100 locations in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, and Ocean counties of southern New Jersey. Its vision of building healthy communities together drives its mission of making a difference in health and healing, one person at a time, through caring and trusting relationships. A Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winner, AtlantiCare was also included in Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work. ARMC has the only full-service cardiac program in southeastern New Jersey. ARMC was the 105^th hospital in the nation to attain the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet™ designation in 2004 and earned redesignation in 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2023. Learn more at atlanticare.org or call 1-888-569-1000.

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 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. 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 healthcare systems. For more information, visit heart.org.

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