USC Arcadia Hospital receives seventh consecutive STEMI Receiving Center designation for heart attack care excellence

The Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency (LAC EMS) has once again named USC Arcadia Hospital (USC-AH) an official receiving center for patients experiencing a common type of heart attack, known as ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI.

This is USC-AH’s seventh consecutive designation and means that paramedics will bring patients experiencing a heart attack confirmed through an electrocardiogram (EKG) to USC-AH when it is the nearest STEMI Receiving Center.

This three-year designation, effective Dec. 11, recognizes USC-AH’s advanced technology and facilities, and demonstrates close collaboration between highly trained emergency medical staff, expert cardiac catheterization laboratory staff and the critical care unit to treat patients quickly and effectively.

LAC EMS evaluates hospitals using a standardized review process to assess compliance with STEMI Receiving Center requirements, including written protocols, staffing and resource availability, and coordination with the 911 system. Hospitals are also evaluated on timeliness and quality of patient care, including how quickly patients’ blood vessels are unblocked by hospital staff after their first contact with paramedics.

USC-AH, part of Keck Medicine of USC, is a full-service hospital that sees an average of more than 40,000 patients in the emergency department annually and is a designated center of excellence for stroke care, joint and knee replacement, weight loss surgery services, heart care and more.

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