Parkland Health Center Certified as Level III STEMI Center

Parkland Health Center-Farmington has recently been awarded certification as a Missouri Level III STEMI Center by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Time Critical Diagnosis Unit. This is a three-year certification and is in addition to Parkland’s certification as a Missouri Level III Stroke Center and The Joint Commission’s re-certification as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center.

STEMI, which stands for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, is a serious type of heart attack that is a profoundly life-threatening medical emergency. Missouri’s statewide Time Critical Diagnosis System designates hospitals that have passed a rigorous review process as stroke and heart attack centers that have specially trained staff available 24 hours a day to treat these medical emergencies. 

“What the community can ascertain from this certification is that, while our emergency department treats serious medical emergencies every day, we have now proven -- following careful scrutiny by a panel of experts -- that we meet the standards for providing an elevated quality of care for a patient having a heart attack,” said Dr. Michael Clippard, medical director of Parkland’s emergency department. “With this recent STEMI certification added to our two stroke certifications, the community can certainly be assured of receiving exceptional emergency heart attack and stroke care at Parkland.” 

The review was conducted by a panel of experts in the field of heart care, led by a physician expert who is an interventional cardiologist, a clinical nurse specialist in heart care and the Time Critical Diagnosis program coordinator from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. 

Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in the US, with heart disease ranking number one. The Missouri Time Critical Diagnosis System brings together the 9-1-1 response system, ambulance services and hospitals in a more integrated and coordinated approach to help a greater number of people survive and recover from trauma, stroke and heart attack. Receiving medical care quickly is key to surviving a major medical emergency such as heart attack or stroke.

For additional information about heart attack or stroke care, please email Christina Rausch, Parkland Health Center’s stroke and STEMI coordinator, or call 573.760.8311.