JCHL Recognized for Cardiac Arrest Survival

Jefferson Community Health & Life has received the American Heart Association’s Target: Survival quality achievement award for its commitment to treating in-hospital cardiac arrest, ultimately helping to improve survival rates.

Each year, more than 300,000 adults and children experience an in-hospital cardiac arrest.[1] Survival from cardiac arrest largely depends on timely medical emergency team response and effective CPR.

The Target: Survival program was developed to highlight the number of lives a hospital saved by following the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for treatment as outlined by the American Heart Association. The program examines patient survival rates following in-hospital cardiac arrest and adjusts for multiple factors, including cardiac arrest rhythm, event location within the hospital, and prior illness severity. Awarded sites have a survival rate that places them in the top 40% of all Get With The Guidelines – Resuscitation participating hospitals in the United States.

“Jefferson Community Health & Life is committed to improving patient care by focusing on cardiac arrest survival and continuous quality improvement,” said Erin Smith, chief nursing officer. “The end goal is to ensure more people in Jefferson County can experience longer, healthier lives.”

“We are pleased to recognize Jefferson Community Health & Life for its commitment to improving survival rates for patients who experience in-hospital cardiac arrest,” said Paul S. Chan, M.D., MSc, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Resuscitation System of Care Advisory Group. “Each life saved is a testament to this team’s timely, coordinated and high-quality care during an emergency.”

1 Annual Incidence of Adult and Pediatric In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in the United States, 9 Jul 2019, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.119.005580