Member News

PITTSFORD, NY: Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance has once again received the American Heart Association’s
Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid and research-based
care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives. PVA
has earned the top honor for the last 6 years.

Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if
someone goes to the hospital by car. In cases of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest, those minutes
matter. Identifying patients who are candidates for stroke and heart attack care allows emergency medical
services staff to alert receiving facilities ahead of their arrival, allowing the facility time to align staff and
treatment space for the incoming patient. The result is a much more cohesive and continuous treatment
pathway that ultimately provides patients with the best possible chance for survival and recovery.

Mission: Lifeline EMS® is the American Heart Association's national initiative to advance the system of care
for patients with high-risk, time-sensitive disease states, such as severe heart attacks and strokes. The
program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment — starting from when 911 is called, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack and stroke patients takes coordination between the individual prehospital providers and healthcare systems.

“Arguably the most important link in the chains 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.

“The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS awards are an important way to recognize the crucial roles and performances of EMS personnel in stroke and cardiac patients’ care.”

The Mission: Lifeline EMS achievement award focuses on agencies’ on-scene care, bringing to the forefront
the collaboration and contributions to patient care for prehospital providers.

“We are honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack patients for the seventh year in a row,” said Chief Jonathan Smith. “The Mission: Lifeline program acknowledges much of the work our team does each and every day to ensure that our patients have the best possible chance of survival, no matter the health challenge they face.”

About Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance: Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit
ambulance service based in Pittsford, NY. Founded in 1971, Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance has provided
emergency medical care to the Town of Pittsford and surrounding communities for over 50 years. Pittsford
Volunteer Ambulance was named Agency of the Year for 2021 and 2023 by the Monroe-Livingston Regional Emergency Medical Services Council and has earned the American Heart Association’s top recognition for stroke and heart-attack care for the last six years in a row. The organization offers CPR/First Aid Training to the public and to private groups alike.

About Mission: Lifeline: Mission: Lifeline EMS® recognition is the American Heart Association’s program
that recognizes prehospital emergency agencies for their quality of care for heart attack and stroke patients. The recognition program focuses on transforming care quality by connecting all heart attack and stroke care components into a seamlessly integrated care system. Key tenets of these systems of care reinforce evidence-based guidelines and measure performance, identify gaps, and engage in quality improvement.

For more information, visit heart.org.