The American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, is launching an initiative to address critical gaps in emergency response systems of care, particularly as mobile technologies rapidly transform the field. The announcement, timed to National EMS Week, aims to foster the best use of technology in emergency response, from dispatch to hospital care.
When someone experiences cardiac arrest, a heart attack or a stroke, reliable communication between dispatch, EMS crews and receiving hospitals can mean the difference between life and death. Yet as technologies like telehealth platforms and mobile stroke units become more common, gaps in systems of care can arise. The Association will convene EMS agency leadership, hospital executives and public health partners to identify where technology can be better used and produce recommendations to strengthen emergency response.
Supported by T-Mobile, the initiative will gather insights into emergency communication processes across 13 cities: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. This new effort will be integrated into the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline® EMS program to help systems of care work better together. Mission: Lifeline EMS engages more than 1,000 EMS agencies, building on an established national network of recognition and improvement. The initiative is part of the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers movement, a national effort aiming to double survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by 2030.
“When communication breaks down in the chain of survival, people die. This initiative translates our national mission into market-level action - working alongside EMS leaders to improve care in real communities,” said Kacey Kronenfeld, M.D., FAEMS, volunteer co-chair of the American Heart Association’s EMS Task Force. “The American Heart Association is uniquely positioned to lead this work, in its role as a national convener shaping next-generation emergency response.”
In each of the 13 target markets, the American Heart Association will host regional system of care forums bringing together EMS leaders to identify and close communication and technology gaps. These forums will generate market-level insights that feed into national learning, comparative data analysis and actionable improvement strategies. Annual national roundtables, co-hosted by the Association and T-Mobile, will convene technology leaders from EMS agencies across the target markets to shape the future of emergency communication systems.
“Connectivity saves lives - and that's not just a tagline for us,” said Rod Cruz, vice president of growth and emerging businesses, T-Mobile. “Supporting the American Heart Association in improving how EMS teams, dispatchers and hospitals communicate is a natural extension of that commitment.” With T-Mobile’s financial support, the Association also will work to expand participation in Mission: Lifeline EMS recognition nationwide, encouraging more EMS agencies to meet the program's standards for guideline-directed care in cardiac and stroke emergencies.
