Mercy Medical Center recognizes EMS personnel for lifesaving efforts

Mercy Medical Center recently hosted its bi-annual appreciation dinner for local emergency medical squads (EMS), with more than 300 people attending. Mercy sponsors this event to recognize EMS personnel for their lifesaving efforts throughout the year.

The guest speaker was Scott Russell, RN, BSN, CEN, EMT-P, of the Lakewood Fire Department. Scott, who also serves as a flight nurse specialist for MetroHealth Life Flights, addressed the crowd with a presentation on rescue task forces and active shooter response.

As part of the evening’s activities, Mercy Emergency Chest Pain Center (ECPC) presented its STEMI (St Elevation Myocardial Infarction) Cup award to Perry Township Fire Department for achieving the best door to balloon (D2B) angioplasty time for the second half of 2018. Perry Township Fire Department members Nick Wilson, paramedic; Ron Riggs, paramedic shift captain; Rick King, paramedic shift captain and Tabitha Benson, EMT, received the award for their role in the (D2B) time of twenty-one minutes and thirty six seconds.

Dr. Ahmed Sabe and Dr. Frank Kaeberlein, co-directors of the ECPC, established the award to recognize not only the advancements that the collaborative team of ED and cardiac cath Lab nurses, technologists and doctors have made in cardiac care, but also to show the dedication and quick responsiveness of local EMS. In combining these elements, heart attack patients have a better chance for survival and faster recovery time for cardiac-related emergencies.

“Mercy has a proven track record of increasing the survival rate of heart attack patients by placing the cardiac cath lab directly in the Emergency Department, making it easily accessible to emergency responders and Mercy staff. We are the only hospital in the world that has this accessibility available to our patients. Here at Mercy, heart attack patients go directly from the ambulance to the cardiac cath lab, which allows us to open blocked arteries more quickly, minimizing damage to the heart muscle and sustaining the quality of life for our patients,” said Dr. Sabe, executive director of Cardiovascular Services at Mercy Medical Center.

The STEMI Cup is an award that is repeated semi-annually as additional milestone D2B times are reached.