ACFR thanks UF Health
Members of Alachua County Fire Rescue presented UF Health with a certificate of appreciation for its grant assistance. Pictured (from left): Irene Alexaitis, D.N.P., R.N., NEA-BC, UF Health Shands Hospital chief nursing officer and Nursing and Patient Care Services vice president; Harold Theus, Alachua County Fire Rescue assistant chief; Ed Bailey, Alachua County Fire Rescue chief; David Anderson, M.D., FACC, F.S.C., UF College of Medicine interventional cardiologist; Ed Jimenez, UF Health Shands interim CEO; and Carla Schmidt, B.S.H., CCCP, C.V.T., UF Health Chest Pain Center STEMI coordinator.
For a patient experiencing a heart attack, every second matters. UF Health partnered with North Florida Regional Medical Center to provide funding for an updated electrocardiogram transmission system for Alachua County Fire Rescue. The system supports ACFR’s Emergency Medical Services teams in providing rapid ECG transmission and uninterrupted flow of information between EMS responders and in-hospital medical providers.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission established performance measures related to timely heart attack care. Many core measures relate to the management of heart attacks to include “door-to-balloon time” in patients undergoing treatment for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI, care in 90 minutes or less.
The new digital system, Rescue Net 12-Lead, allows paramedics operating in the field to transmit ECGs from their location to a secure Web-based system. Within 30 seconds, the system alerts medical providers with an email that contains the ECG, allowing cardiologists to decrease the time between the patient’s “first medical contact” with EMS and STEMI management and treatment.
Providing rapid treatment helps prevent heart damage and decreases mortality caused by STEMI events. Carla Schmidt, B.S.H., CCCP, C.V.T., is the UF Health Chest Pain Center STEMI coordinator. She is confident the new system will provide the necessary support to EMS to improve clinical outcomes and save lives.
Schmidt said, “I am proud to be part of UF Health Shands’ ongoing commitment to our county EMS providers with the support that allows them to provide the best care possible for the citizens of our community.”