LAKE CHELAN HEALTH EMS IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING QUALITY CARE FOR HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES.
The American Heart Association presents the Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold with Target: Heart Attack and Stoke Honor Roll Achievement Award for proven dedication to best practices and life-saving care.
Chelan, WA, April 28, 2026—Lake Chelan Health (LCH) EMS has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold with Target: Heart Attack and Stroke Honor Roll Achievement Award for the seventh consecutive year, recognizing its commitment to delivering rapid, evidence-based care to patients experiencing the most severe forms of heart attacks and strokes—helping save lives when every second counts. Lake Chelan Health is one of the few EMS system in Washington state to receive this recognition for both heart attack and stroke care for the last seven 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. EMS staff are also trained to provide resuscitation efforts to someone whose heart has stopped. People who arrive by ambulance may also receive faster treatment at the hospital.
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.
“In acute stroke and cardiovascular emergencies, EMS and prehospital teams are the vital first link in the chain of survival and better health outcomes, providing rapid care when time is critical.” said Ray Eickmeyer, Director of LCH EMS. Quickly identifying conditions, stabilizing patients, providing prehospital care, and starting treatment within regional care systems give patients the best chance for fast, effective therapies, leading to better outcomes and improved quality of life.
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’re incredibly proud of our EMS team for earning this recognition,” said Agustin Benegas, Communications Manager. “Being the only agency in Washington recognized by the American Heart Association for 7 years straight highlights the exceptional care our team provides close to home. Through Mission: Lifeline, our EMS professionals follow proven protocols that help save lives during critical cardiac emergencies.”
Lake Chelan Health EMS is also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline System of Care Target Heart Attack award, focused on the system of care for patients. This award highlights the collaboration and contributions of both prehospital and hospital providers. This time-critical award level is limited to those agencies that provide patient transport to STEMI-receiving and STEMI-referring centers.
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