ASHLAND, Ky. - When a person is suffering from chest pain and an ambulance is called, every second is critical.

That's why King's Daughters Medical Center is partnering with local emergency medical services to introduce a electrocardiogram wireless transmission program to the community.

The project, called "Hearts In Action," includes EMS agencies in Boyd, Carter and Greenup counties in Kentucky, and the Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Services District in Lawrence County.

A total of 15 ambulances will soon feature 12-lead EKG systems.

Even more importantly, once the patient is connected to the EKG, the results are transmitted, via satellite telephone, to King's Daughters' Emergency Department, enabling physicians to diagnose and make treatment plans before the patient reaches the medical center.