WARREN, Ark. (7/9/25) – Bradley County Medical Center was recently recognized by the American Heart Association with a pair of accolades. BCMC earned the Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition Silver award along with a Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Referring Center Bronze award.
The Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition Silver award is for BCMC’s commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing non ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). In the United States, NSTE-ACS affects more than 625,000 patients annually, or almost three-fourths of all patients with acute coronary syndrome.
“When someone experiences acute coronary syndrome, American Heart Association guidelines call for specific actions performed in the hospital in a consistent and timely fashion to prevent further myocardial damage and to save lives,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, co-author on the American Heart Association’s presidential advisory on rural health. “Where you live should not determine if you live, and rural communities deserve high-quality cardiac care. Bradley County Medical Center is recognized for consistently providing these patients with the care, guidance, and medical therapy they need to give them the best chance of survival.”
The Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for NSTE-ACS care as outlined by the American Heart Association.
This award recognizes hospitals for their efforts toward acute coronary syndrome care excellence demonstrated by composite score compliance to guideline-directed care, including timely electrocardiogram and troponin results, anticoagulant administration, risk stratification, and follow-up care.
BCMC also received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Referring Center Bronze recognition for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.
Each year, more than 1 million cases of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) require hospitalization in the U.S., and about 30% of ACS cases are classified as STEMI, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. Like all heart attacks, this requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.
Recognition as a STEMI Referring Center is designed to showcase hospitals of every size on the front lines of care that do not have 24/7 cardiac catheterization lab availability but work in collaboration with emergency medical services to ensure patients receive guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care.
“Effective and timely care is crucial for patients experiencing a STEMI heart attack. The American Heart Association’s guidelines call for specific interventions for these patients both in-hospital and post-hospitalization,” said Abhinav Goyal, M.D., MHS, FACC, FAHA, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Coronary Artery Disease System of Care Advisory Group.
The STEMI Referring Center award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to getting patients the most up-to-date research-based care for STEMI as outlined by the American Heart Association.
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 14 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
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