Temecula Valley Hospital Receives Mission: Lifeline Bronze Receiving Achievement Award

Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Temecula Valley Hospital Receives Mission: Lifeline Bronze Receiving Achievement Award

From left to right: Sheryl Wilkeson, Business Development Director at the American Heart Association®; Dr. Andrew Ho, Medical Director, Cardiac Cath Lab and Chief of Staff Elect at Temecula Valley Hospital; Katie Baca, MSN, RN, PHN, CCCC, Temecula Valley Hospital Cardiac Program Manager; and Jennifer Garrow, RN, MN, ARNP, Regional Director of Quality and Systems Improvement at the American Heart Association®.

Temecula Valley Hospital has received the Mission: Lifeline® Bronze Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association® for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

Learn more about heart care at Temecula Valley >

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. The initiative provides tools, training, and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.

Temecula Valley Hospital earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility.

“Our hospital is dedicated to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said Darlene Wetton, Chief Executive Officer, Temecula Valley Hospital. “We are proud to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care through Mission: Lifeline.”

“We commend Temecula Valley Hospital for this award in recognition for following evidence-based guidelines for timely heart attack treatment,” said Tim Henry, MD, Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee. “We applaud the significant institutional commitment to their critical role in the system of care for quickly and appropriately treating heart attack patients.”