The Valley Hospital Recognized for Commitment to Quality Care for Heart Attacks and Stroke by Mission Lifeline

PARAMUS, NJ, July 30, 2024 – The Valley Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline? EMS Silver achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid and research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives.

Emergency medical services (EMS) staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone goes to the hospital by car, according to the American Heart Association. EMS staff are also trained to provide resuscitation efforts to someone whose heart has stopped. People who arrive by ambulance may also receive faster treatment at the hospital.

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.

“Arguably 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, MD, MS, MBA, chair of the department of research at the 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.

“The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS awards are an important way to recognize the crucial roles and performances of EMS personnel in stroke and cardiac patients’ care,” continued Dr. Jauch.

The Mission: Lifeline EMS achievement award focuses on agencies’ on-scene care, bringing to the forefront the collaboration and contributions to patient care for prehospital providers.

“We are proud to receive this recognition from Mission: Lifeline,” said Ingrid Santucci, Manager of Emergency Medical Services for The Valley Hospital. “Our recognition was determined based on the EMS team’s performance in 2023. Our response to emergency medical calls was reviewed for pre-arrival notification for suspected stroke, evaluation of blood glucose for patients with suspected stroke, and other factors. I am proud of our team’s response, which resulted in a score above the required 75% for each criteria.”  

“This award reflects our team’s unwavering commitment to deliver high-quality, pre-hospital healthcare,” said Matthew Bremy, Clinical Coordinator of Emergency Medical Services for The Valley Hospital.

For more information about emergency services at The Valley Hospital, please visit ValleyHealth.com/EmergencyServices.

About Mission: Lifeline

Mission: Lifeline EMS? recognition is the American Heart Association’s program that recognizes prehospital emergency agencies for their quality of care for heart attack and stroke patients. The recognition program focuses on transforming care quality by connecting all heart attack and stroke care components into a seamlessly integrated care system. Key tenets of these systems of care reinforce evidence-based guidelines and measure performance, identify gaps, and engage in quality improvement.

For more information, visit heart.org.