Northside Hospital Atlanta, Northside Hospital Cherokee, Northside Hospital Forsyth and Northside Hospital Gwinnett have each received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® Regional STEMI Recognition Award, in recognition of their commitment to providing timely, evidence-based care for patients experiencing ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the most severe type of heart attack.
The four hospitals also received the American Heart Association’s 2026 Commitment to Quality Award, recognizing their continued commitment to quality improvement through the Get With The Guidelines® program across cardiovascular and stroke service lines. The recognition highlights the hospitals’ use of the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatment guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes.
Together, these recognitions reflect Northside’s commitment to delivering high-quality cardiovascular care and strengthening coordinated systems of care for patients experiencing heart attacks and other cardiovascular emergencies.
The Mission: Lifeline Regional STEMI Recognition Award honors hospitals that demonstrate collaboration with emergency medical services, referring hospitals and receiving hospitals to build coordinated systems of care based on the latest evidence-based treatment guidelines. These partnerships help ensure patients receive rapid diagnosis and lifesaving treatment when every minute matters.
“Achieving this recognition at four hospitals highlights the exceptional teamwork of our physicians, nurses, EMS partners and clinical teams,” said Billie Slinde, vice president of service lines, Northside Hospital. “Delivering consistent, high-quality care at every level ensures our patients receive rapid, lifesaving treatment when every minute counts.”
Acute coronary syndrome remains a major cause of hospitalization in the United States. According to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report, STEMI accounts for approximately 30% of acute coronary syndrome presentations. STEMI is typically caused by the complete blockage of a coronary artery and requires immediate restoration of blood flow to reduce the risk of death and permanent heart damage.
Mission: Lifeline is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to improve systems of care for patients experiencing high-risk, time-sensitive medical conditions, including severe heart attacks. The program works to reduce barriers to prompt intervention, from the initial 911 call and EMS transport to hospital treatment and discharge.
Delivering optimal care for STEMI patients requires coordination across the entire care continuum, including EMS professionals, emergency departments, cardiac catheterization laboratories and cardiovascular specialists.
“Arguably the most important link in the chain of survival for acute stroke and cardiovascular emergencies is emergency medical services and prehospital professionals,” said Kacey Kronenfeld, M.D., FAEMS, chair of the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Taskforce. “Early condition identification, stabilization and prehospital interventions and initiation of actions within the regional systems of care provide patients with the best chance for receiving expedient definitive therapies leading to optimal outcomes and maximized quality of life.”
Northside Hospital provides comprehensive cardiovascular services across the health system, from emergency heart attack treatment and advanced cardiac interventions to structural heart procedures, electrophysiology, cardiovascular genetics and cardiac rehabilitation.
The Mission: Lifeline and Commitment to Quality recognitions underscore Northside’s continued focus on clinical excellence, evidence-based practices and collaboration across the continuum of cardiovascular care.
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