Meritus Medical Center nationally recognized for heart attack care

The American Heart Association presents the Get With The Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI Silver award.

Meritus Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Coronary Artery Disease NSTEMI Silver recognition for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).

Meritus also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart attack.

“Our team members are dedicated to improving the quality of heart-attack care, and the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program helps us achieve that goal,” said Carrie Adams, president of the medical center. “The program puts proven science and guidelines into practice every day, giving people experiencing a heart attack the best possible chance of survival. It allows us to meet our goal of providing expert care, close to home.”

Each year, more than 1.2 million people in the U.S. are hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. About 70% of ACS cases are classified as NSTEMI, caused by a partial blockage in a coronary artery.

“For patients experiencing an NSTEMI heart attack, following the American Heart Association’s guidelines is essential,” said Abhinav Goyal, M.D., MHS, FACC, FAHA, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Coronary Artery Disease System of Care Advisory Group. “These evidence-based recommendations support high-quality in-hospital care and appropriate cardiac rehabilitation after discharge.”

Each year, hospitals earn NSTEMI recognition by demonstrating a sustained commitment to treating patients according to the most current, evidence-based guidelines for NSTEMI care, as outlined by the American Heart Association.