San Juan Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Medical Services has earned the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Gold Award for the 10th consecutive year, marking a decade of nationally recognized excellence in treating life‑threatening cardiac emergencies.
The award highlights the EMS’ sustained performance since 2016 in delivering fast, evidence‑based care for severe heart attacks, strokes and other critical conditions. EMS Chief William Coker credited the department’s 64‑member team – from field medics and dispatchers to mechanics and hospital partners – for building a system that can assess patients quickly, transmit EKGs directly to the hospital and use advanced tools like the LUCAS device to improve CPR outcomes. Coker said early recognition of symptoms and calling 911 remain essential, noting that the agency’s coordinated approach helps ensure lifesaving treatment begins the moment paramedics arrive.
“These awards are not the result of a single individual or team. They are a reflection of the collective efforts of every field provider, communications specialist, supervisor, educator, mechanic, logistics team member, administrator and hospital partner who contributes to our mission. Every call answered, every protocol followed, every quality improvement initiative and every commitment to excellence has helped make this accomplishment possible,” Coker said.
Coker, who’s been at SJRMC for 2-1/2 years, said “I’m ecstatic, but it can’t be done without everyone. Like I said earlier, it takes a village, not a person.”
Coker, a national registered paramedic with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, heads up a department of about 64, whose structure, he said, is a lot like “paramilitary, with captains over the day-to-day operations.”
“Mission: Lifeline EMS is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to advance the system of care for patients with high-risk, time-sensitive disease states, such as severe heart attacks, strokes and other life-threatening cardiovascular emergencies,” the news release said.
The program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment, from when 911 is called to EMS transport through hospital treatment and discharge. Key tenets include reinforcing evidence-based guidelines and measure performance, identify gaps and engage in quality improvement.
When a paramedic arrives on the scene, Coker said they first do an assessment to determine the symptoms of the patient. Besides trauma to the body, the most common critical health crises are strokes, heart attacks and breathing issues.
Recognizing symptoms and reacting quickly can mean the difference between life and death.
According to heart.org, catching the signs of a heart attack early is imperative.
“Some heart attacks are sudden and intense. Others start slowly with mild pain or discomfort,” it says.
One symptom is chest discomfort in the center of the chest, which can last more than a few minutes, or may go away and return. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Additionally, there may be discomfort in other areas of the upper body, including pain or discomfort in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw, stomach. Other indicators are shortness of breath (with or without chest discomfort) and breaking out in a cold sweat.
Coker said paramedics will get the medical history of victims with chest pain or other heart attach symptoms and find out what medications they may be taking. They will also hook the patient to a cardiac monitor to get an EKG reading.
The LUCAS device, Coker said, insures more reliable and consistent chest compressions during cardio pulmonary recusitation.
“By using automated, guidelines-consistent CPR, the LUCAS device provides consistent and high-quality chest compressions shown by research to increase the chances of good patient outcomes. In studies, it was shown that the LUCAS device has been demonstrated to increase blood flow to the brain and achieve higher EtCO2 values compared to manual compressions,” it states at stryker.com.
“We’re able to, from the field, transmit your vital signs and your EKG directly to the hospital and notify the hospital ahead of time,” Coker said. “So that those resources are getting prepared and available to minimize any delay of patient care.”
Being able to transmit data from an EKG, information about a stoke, heart attack or sepsis alerts via Wi-Fi allows the hospital to prepare the necessary resources and expedite patient care upon arrival.
Coker credited his “first-rate professional staff for the continued success of his department.
“We have some of the best, we have some of the best paramedics in the country working with us,” he said.