Hackensack Meridian Health Hospitals Honored for Outstanding Treatment for Heart Attack Patients

 Five hospitals received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Gold or Bronze Receiving Quality Achievement Award for exceptional treatment

 

Newswise — July 25, 2017 ― Edison, NJ ― Hackensack Meridian Health is pleased to announce that five hospitals have received the Mission:Lifeline Gold or Bronze Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing 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) which causes blockage of blood flow to the heart and is the deadliest type of heart attack. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

 

Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank and Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel were awarded the Mission: Lifeline STEMI Gold Receiving award. Hackensack University Medical Center and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin were honored with the Mission:Lifeline STEMI Bronze Receiving award. Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy was honored with the Mission:Lifeline STEMI Bronze Plus Receiving Award.

 

“Our award-winning hospitals are dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack and we will continue to provide the immediate, high-quality care that results in the best outcomes for our patients,’’ said Robert C. Garrett, co-CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health.

 

Hospitals which earn the awards must meet specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients by providing emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries when needed. Eligible hospitals must adhere to these measures for a set time period to receive the award.

 

“Our excellent teams, from the paramedics who respond with the 9-1-1 call to our cardiology teams, are committed to providing the highest standards of care to save lives and reduce disability in our heart attack patients,’’ said Steven G. Littleson, president of hospital services and chief operating officer of Hackensack Meridian Health.

 

“We commend the hospitals in the Hackensack Meridian Health network for this achievement award, which reflects a significant institutional commitment to the highest quality of care for their heart attack patients,’’ said James G. Jollis, M.D., chairman of the Mission:Lifeline Advisory Working Group.

 

 

 

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 13 hospitals, including two academic medical centers, two children's hospitals and nine community hospitals, physician practices, more than 120 ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, and urgent care and after-hours centers. Hackensack Meridian Health has 28,000 team members, more than 6,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

 

 

 

 

The Network's notable distinctions include having one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, the number one hospital in New Jersey as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For," one of the "20 Best Workplaces in Health Care" in the nation, and the number one "Best Place to Work for Women." Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

 

The hospitals of Hackensack Meridian Health include: academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune; children's hospitals – Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; community hospitals – Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood.

 

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.