Lawrence County EMS was recognized for winning its second straight Mission Lifeline: Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award this year from the American Heart Association at the county commission meeting on Tuesday.

Besides numerous Lawrence County EMS personnel, Cynthia Keeley, director of quality and systems improvement at the American Heart Association, was also on hand at the meeting.

The award is given to EMS agencies that implement the quality of care and outcomes provided for the most serious types of heart attacks, ST elevation myocardial infraction (STEMI), which more than 250,000 people experience annually. Timely treatment is required for these heart attacks, which include critically restoring blood flow as quickly as possible, wither by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

Beyond the basic components of a “high-functioning” STEMI system of care, Lawrence County EMS is part of an elite group of pre-hospital agencies in the U.S. focused on not only “high functioning,” but also “high quality” STEMI systems of care.

Lawrence County EMS achieved a 75 percent or higher compliance score for each specific EMS quality measure for 48 months, which include percentage of patients with non-traumatic chest pain of people aged 35 or greater, treated and transported by EMS who receives a pre-hospital 12-Lead electrocardiograms (ECG); percentage of STEMI patients transported to a STEMI Receiving Center, with pre-hospital First Medical Contact (FMC) to Device (PCI) in under 90 minutes; and percentage of adult Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) patients resuscitated on-scene with sustained ROSC of at least 20 minutes maintained to arrival at the emergency department who had a 12-Lead ECG performed in the field.

Lawrence County EMS joins just 627 other EMS agencies throughout the country, and is one of 60 in Ohio to achieve the honor.

“We are so proud of our people here,” Jeff Gaskin, Lawrence County EMS resource and facilities administrator, said of the LCEMS staff. “It is the people who we have that do it, and these are the people who really earn this award for Lawrence County.”

In other action, the commission:

• Approved one new floodplain permit and one floodplain permit renewal.

• Received and filed the Dog Warden reports dated July 28, 2018 and Aug. 4, 2018.

• Accepted the resignations of Lawrence County EMS employees Adam Stone and Hilah Stone, effective Aug. 25, 2018, and Clayton Johnson, effective Aug. 25, 2018.

• Approved five transfer funds.

• Approved and signed the Area 7 and Lawrence County Sub-Grant Agreement Program Year 2018-2019.

• Approved and signed the Non-Binding Letter of Intent with the Rock Hill Local School District to move forward with the lease arrangement for the new EMS station.

• Met in executive session with STAR Justice, Prosecutor Brigham Anderson, Sheriff Jeff Lawless, Lawrence County Municipal Judge Donald Capper, Lawrence County Common Pleas Judges Charles Cooper and Andy Ballard, and Chief Deputy Auditor Chris Kline regarding legal contracts. No action was taken.

• Met in executive session with Lisa Pine, of Union Rome Sewer, and Chris Kline regarding personnel. No action was taken.

• Met in executive session with the three Lawrence County EMS administrators, Mac Yates, Jeff Gaskin and Lori Morris, and Chris Kline regarding personnel. No action was taken.

The next commission meeting will be 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at South Point High School.