Burke EMS earns national award for cardiac care

When it comes to providing outstanding care for heart-attack victims, Burke County EMS is top-notch.

Burke’s Emergency Medical Services received the prestigious Mission: Lifeline Gold Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) this week.

It’s the highest honor awarded under the nationwide Mission: Lifeline EMS recognition program. To earn the distinction, departments must meet a rigorous standard of patient care in a number of evidence-based metrics for 24 consecutive months.

Burke EMS Director James Robinson said his staff is proud of the accomplishment, but positive outcomes for patients are the department’s only goal.

“It’s not about numbers for the agency,” Robinson said. “Now, everybody is excited that we got this award, but that’s not what our push-point is. I don’t need a gold award hanging on the wall. What I do need is the return of spontaneous circulation and individuals that are receiving the best possible cardiac care while they’re in transfer by Burke County Emergency Services.”

The award recognizes quality care for all cardiac patients, but especially those suffering from STEMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction). In a STEMI attack, there is a total blockage of the heart’s primary coronary arteries. It’s the most serious form of heart attack.

By standardizing treatment protocol, the EMS can recognize STEMI events quickly, treat them appropriately, and get the patient to the correct medical facility.

Robinson said that expertise comes from intensive training.

“Each individual shift has a captain, a lieutenant, and a sergeant, and the sergeant is responsible for training, so we challenge them by saying, ‘You need to dedicate one month’s worth of training to nothing but cardiac emergencies,’” Robinson said.

“It’s because of education, the standardization of approach and the standardization of the expectation that this is what we’re going to do, and the accountability that we provide for that. So, I’m very proud of the staff here.”

Treatment goals are tracked by patient-care software, which also follows patient outcomes.

There are three levels of Lifeline awards: bronze (meeting benchmarks for one quarter); silver (12 consecutive months); and gold (24 consecutive months).

County Manager Brian Epley said only around a thousand departments in the U.S. earn gold recognition each year.

“I think it just speaks volume to the level of professionalism and training of our team, and we certainly could not be more proud of Chief Robinson and the improvements that we’ve seen in that department,” Epley said.

“It’s a very prestigious award, something that I know they’re humbled and honored by, and it’s just illustrative of the hard work and dedication that team has.”

The AHA is a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. The organization began the Lifeline program in 2014, and only a relatively small percentage of departments across the country are recognized.

North Carolina had 26 gold award winners in 2024.

Burke last won the award in 2023, capping a run of eight years in a row.