New Hanover Regional Medical Center recently received high honors from the American Heart Association for heart attack care.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award recognized the NHRMC Heart Center “for its commitment and success in providing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients, effectively improving the survival and care of these patients,” according to a NHRMC news release.

The Gold Plus Award is the highest possible award from American Heart Association for heart attack care, hospital officials said. 

For the first time, the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program also recognized emergency transport agencies for their critical role in the identification and treatment of STEMI heart attacks.

“STEMI” refers to ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, the most severe type of heart attack.
NHRMC’s Emergency Medical Services and AirLink VitaLink critical care transport teams were each among the first in the nation to receive the Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver Recognition Award, the highest award possible for transport agencies this year.

NHRMC’s AirLink VitaLink program is one of only two flight programs in the nation to have received the award.

The hospital earned the awards by working with EMS agencies across the region to meet specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients to open the blocked artery, officials said.

“New Hanover Regional Medical Center is dedicated to providing high quality care to our patients in the critical minutes after a heart attack,” David Parks, vice president of cardiac and clinical support services at the hospital, said in the news release.