Heart attack care initiative expands to Iowa with $4.6 million Helmsley grant

The American Heart Association announced that it has received a $4.6 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to support the AHA’s Mission: Lifeline initiative in Iowa.

"This is a great day for rural health in Iowa, and especially for heart patients and their loved ones," said Kevin Harker, executive vice president of the AHA’s Midwest Affiliate. "Thanks to the vision and generosity of the Helmsley Charitable Trust and our other contributors and collaborators, we will be able to better coordinate heart attack care across the entire state, which will mean better outcomes for patients and more lives saved."

Launched in 2007, Mission: Lifeline works to improve coordination between local hospitals and EMS providers to shorten the time to lifesaving treatment for patients who have a type of heart attack called ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Hundreds of thousands of Americans each year experience STEMI, in which blood flow is completely cut off to a portion of the heart. The more time it takes to open the blocked artery, the more damage is done to the heart muscle.

In rural America, the vast landscape and sparse healthcare resources have made it difficult to deliver fast treatment to STEMI patients.

"Mission: Lifeline ensures that the community, EMS providers and the health system are integrated and work seamlessly," said AHA CEO Nancy Brown. "Through Mission: Lifeline, we’re working to change the fact that 30 percent of STEMI patients don’t receive treatment. Of those who receive [artery-opening treatment], less than half are treated within the recommended 90 minutes."

The Helmsley Charitable Trust has provided funding in recent years for other Mission: Lifeline initiatives in South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Nebraska and Montana. This latest contribution for Iowa brings the Trust’s total Mission: Lifeline commitment to $36.8 million.

Nationally, Mission: Lifeline includes 835 hospitals, clinics, EMS agencies and first responders that cover nearly 83 percent of the U.S. population. Recognized Mission: Lifeline systems of care can be found using a nationwide map.

"We are seeing improved patient outcomes from Mission: Lifeline implementation," said Brown. "When everyone involved works together to do what’s best for the patient, everyone wins, because lives are saved."