Med Center Health rural hospitals awarded for efforts to improve heart attack and stroke care

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Medical Centers at Albany, Caverna, Franklin and Scottsville have been awarded by The American Heart Association for their efforts to improve rural heart attack and stroke care.

According to a release Friday, Med Center Health rural hospitals received 11 awards total celebrating each hospital’s focus on improving rural health care, particularly during emergent situations like heart attacks and strokes. These awards included Get With The Guidelines®️-Rural Coronary Artery Disease NSTE-ACS, Get With The Guidelines®️-Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Referring Center, and Get With The Guidelines®️- Rural Stroke Award.

“Achieving the American Heart Association’s ‘Get With The Guidelines’ award for heart attack and stroke care is a reflection of the exceptional commitment and clinical excellence found in rural hospitals across the country,” said Eric Hagan, vice president of Rural Hospitals at Med Center Health. “These awards are not simply given—they are earned through commitment to excellent care, continual training, and rigorous adherence to evidence-based care practices. We want our communities to know that when they walk into a Med Center Health rural hospital recognized by the AHA, they are receiving care that meets the same gold standard protocols used in major medical centers. This is another example of Med Center Health’s commitment to its mission, ‘To care for people and improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.’”

Each year, the release states over 1 million cases of acute coronary syndrome require hospitalization in the U.S., and about 30% of ACS cases are classified as STEMI, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. Like all heart attacks, officials say this requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

In the United States, NSTE-ACS affects more than 625,000 patients annually, or almost three-fourths of all patients with acute coronary syndrome, according to the release.

“When someone experiences a STEMI heart attack, American Heart Association guidelines call for specific actions performed in the hospital in a consistent and timely fashion to prevent further myocardial damage and to save lives,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, co-author on the American Heart Association’s presidential advisory on rural health. “Where you live should not determine if you live, and rural communities deserve high-quality cardiac care. These Med Center Health rural hospitals are recognized for consistently providing these patients with the care, guidance and medical therapy they need to give them the best chance of survival.”

Hospitals of all sizes who do not have 24/7 cardiac catheterization lab capabilities have a critical role with the care for STEMI and NSTEMI patients. They ensure the best practice, guideline-directed and timely care for the patients which also includes coordinating transferring patients by emergency medical services.