Aultman Alliance Community Hospital (AACH) has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines^® – Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Referring Center Gold Plus recognition, as well as the Get With The Guidelines^® – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition Silver recognition, for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.

Each year, about 285,000 people in the U.S. experience this type of heart attack, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. Nearly 40% of people who go to the emergency room with acute coronary syndrome are diagnosed with a STEMI. Like all heart attacks, this requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

Recognition as a STEMI Referring Center is designed to showcase hospitals of every size on the front lines of care that do not have 24/7 cardiac catheterization lab availability but work in collaboration with emergency medical services to ensure patients receive guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care.

“Effective and timely care is crucial for patients experiencing a STEMI heart attack,” said Abhinav Goyal, M.D., MHS, FACC, FAHA, AHA volunteer, professor in the Department of Cardiology at Emory School of Medicine with a joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology and chief quality officer for the Emory Heart and Vascular Center. “The AHA’s guidelines call for specific interventions for these patients both in-hospital and post-hospitalization. AACH is among the institutions recognized for its commitment to providing evidence-based STEMI treatment and care coordination, ensuring the best outcomes for these patients.”

“Aultman Alliance Community Hospital is committed to improving care by adhering to the latest treatment guidelines and streamlining processes to ensure timely and proper care for heart attacks and strokes,” said John Paulowski, M.D., medical director of Invasive Cardiology at Aultman Hospital. “The Mission: Lifeline and Get With The Guidelines programs make it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis, which helps us more people in Alliance and surrounding communities experience longer, healthier lives.”

The STEMI Referring Center award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to getting patients the most up-to-date research-based care for STEMI as outlined by the AHA.

The Get With The Guidelines – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for STEMI care as outlined by the American Heart Association.

About Get With The Guidelines^®
Get With The Guidelines^® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.