Pinellas EMS Receives Heart Association Award

LARGO, FL – Pinellas County Emergency Medical Services this week was awarded for their work saving people who suffer severe heart attacks.

The American Heart Association awarded the Pinellas County EMS with its Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Award. The award honors the entire EMS system, including all provider agencies, for using life-saving practices that prevent potentially deadly heart attacks.

“Pinellas County is dedicated to ensuring public health, safety and welfare for our entire community,” said Jim Fogarty, the director of Pinellas County Safety and Emergency Services. “We are pleased to be recognized along with our partners by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing life-saving care for heart attack patients.”

According to the American Heart Association, more than 250,000 people every year experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction, the deadliest type of heart attack. It is caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart, which requires timely treatment. To stave off death with this condition, blood flow must be restored as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

The Gold Plus Award recognizes agencies that have implemented training, practices and tools that allow EMS providers to rapidly identify suspected heart attack patients, notify the medical center quickly and trigger an early response from awaiting hospital personnel.

Pinellas County is among only 11 Gold Plus Award recipients in Florida this year out of more than 270 licensed EMS providers. The award was presented during the Pinellas County EMS Advisory Council Meeting on Friday.

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 acute coronary syndrome patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across caregivers to implement the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines.

For more information on the American Heart Association, visit www.heart.org. For more information on Pinellas County EMS, visit www.pinellascounty.org/emergency.

Photography provided courtesy of Pinellas County Communications Department