Adventist Health Portland recognized for excellent heart care

Adventist Health Portland has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Center Bronze Plus recognition for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a 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 a STEMI, 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 – requiring timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

Recognition as a STEMI Receiving Center is designed to showcase hospitals that provide 24/7 support for STEMI. These important facilities coordinate with a network of referring hospitals and emergency medical services to provide guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care.

The STEMI Receiving Center 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.

“Adventist Health Portland and our Northwest Heart Center are dedicated to improving the quality of cardiac care. The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program helps us achieve that goal,” says Dr. Fawaz Alhumaid, medical director of Adventist Health Northwest Heart Center. “The program promotes adherence to the latest proven heart health guidelines. These guidelines are applied by our physicians on a daily basis providing our patients with the best possible outcome.”