Geneva, Penn Yan hospitals recognized for severe heart attack care

Geneva General Hospital and Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital have been awarded the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Referring Center Gold recognition. The accolade acknowledges the hospitals’ commitment to providing high-standard treatment for patients experiencing ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a severe type of heart attack. This is the second consecutive year that Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital has received this prestigious honor.

Around 285,000 people in the U.S. experience a STEMI heart attack annually, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. The Mission: Lifeline program is a national initiative improving care systems for patients with STEMI and other critical heart conditions. The program strives to expedite the delivery of appropriate treatment for these time-sensitive cases. Receiving the Mission: Lifeline Referring Center recognition highlights the hospitals’ commitment to patient care and collaboration with emergency services, particularly crucial where 24/7 cardiac catheterization lab availability is not present.

Matthew Talbott M.D., Finger Lakes Health’s Associate Chief Medical Officer, lauded the achievement, expressing pride in the commitment of the teams at both hospitals to deliver gold standard care. “Geneva General Hospital and Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital have an unwavering obligation to improve cardiac care in our region,” said Talbott. “The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps us achieve that goal, and I’m immensely proud of our teams for earning this well-deserved recognition.”