Herrin Hospital receives 'Lifeline Silver' status | News

HERRIN, IL (KFVS) - The American Heart Association recently recognized the Williamson County hospital with the Mission: Lifeline Silver Performance Achievement Award.

Herrin Hospital is one of only five referral hospitals nationwide to receive the status. Other hospitals, such as sister hospital and fellow Silver Performance Achievement honoree Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, have cardiac catheterization labs on site.

According to the American Heart Association, the care patients receive at Herrin Hospital greatly improves the chances of surviving an acute heart attack.

"This is a due recognition of a great achievement at Herrin, one that represents team work at its best," said Raed Al-Dallow, M.D., interventional cardiologist with Prairie Cardiovascular. "I am very proud of this team and its collaborative work to provide top cardiac care to the patients of southern Illinois, ensuring they don't need to go anywhere else."

Herrin Hospital is a Prairie STAT Heart Facility, which means doctors and nurses work closely with Memorial Hospital of Carbondale to ensure heart attack patients are fast-tracked to life-saving angioplasty. Last year, Herrin Hospital says they posted a median time of 67 minutes "door to balloon" or the time measured from the moment the patient enters the Emergency Department at Herrin until the exact second cardiologists open the blockage in the cardiac cath lab at Memorial. The hospital says their median time is significantly below the nationally recommended time of 90 minutes.

Hospitals that receive the Mission: Lifeline Silver Performance Achievement Award have demonstrated for 12 consecutive months that at least 85 percent of eligible STEMI patients (without contraindications) are treated within specific time frames upon entering the hospital and discharged following the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines.

Copyright 2012 KFVS. All rights reserved.