All five St. Lawrence County hospitals will benefit from a $152,000 grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield to cooperate in expanding access across the North Country to potentially lifesaving cardiac care technology.

The Fort Drum Regional Health Planning organization (FDRHPO) said is was awarded the grant and the funding will be used to partner with the North Country Regional EMS Council (REMSCO) and the Jefferson Emergency Medical Services Cooperative (JEMSCO) to link the tri-county region’s advanced life support rescue squads with physicians in regional emergency departments.

The region’s advanced life support rescue squads are currently equipped with technology to capture a 12-Lead EKG (electrocardiogram) that provides a visual representation of the heart's electrical activity recorded from electrodes on the body’s surface.

However, the region’s advanced life support rescue squads lack the capability to transmit this report to a physician waiting for the patient’s arrival. The 12-Lead EKG Initiative will allow advanced life support first responders to send a high resolution image of the 12-Lead printout using the direct protocol to the hospital in a format that can be interpreted by the emergency department (ED) physician., Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization officials said.

The nine REMSCO hospitals in the region who will receive funding include Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Massena Memorial Hospital, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, Clifton-Fine Hospital, Gouverneur Hospital, Lewis County General Hospital, River Hospital, and Samaritan Medical Center, Carthage Area Hospital.

“The North Country Advanced Life Support agencies are very fortunate to have funding provided by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield to allow us to purchase the necessary equipment to transmit 12-lead EKGs to the emergency rooms. This vital real-time communication will help ensure that our patients are being transported to the appropriate facilities when time is of the essence.” –Deborah Singleton, Chair, North Country Regional EMS Council and Member of the Jefferson Emergency Services Cooperative

The grant funds from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield are part of its Community and Member Health Improvement program. This program provides grants to initiatives that involve numerous community partners, span multiple years, and include specific objectives and measurable outcomes in improving health. Preference is given to efforts that focus on the areas of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, medication compliance and/or patient safety.

The three phases of implementing the grant funds will begin December 1, 2014 and the final phase will be complete by November 30, 2017. The 12-Lead EKG Initiative will allow more rapid diagnosis of a full range of cases and reduce delays in patient care at the hospital. This advancement will not only help save time but also save lives.