OLEAN, N.Y. — Olean General Hospital (OGH), a Kaleida Health facility, has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition Gold recognition.

Representatives said the award recognizes OGH’s commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.

Each year, more than 1 million cases of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) require hospitalization in the U.S., and about 30% of ACS cases are classified as STEMI, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery.  Like all heart attacks, this requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

“When someone experiences a STEMI heart attack, American Heart Association guidelines call for specific actions performed in the hospital in a consistent and timely fashion to prevent further myocardial damage and to save lives,” said Dr. Karen E. Joynt Maddox, co-author on the American Heart Association’s presidential advisory on rural health. “Where you live should not determine if you live, and rural communities deserve high-quality cardiac care. Olean General Hospital is recognized for consistently providing these patients with the care, guidance and medical therapy they need to give them the best chance of survival.”

The Get With The Guidelines – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for STEMI care as outlined by the American Heart Association.

“We are proud that our team at OGH is being recognized for the important work we do every day to improve the lives of people in southwestern New York and northern Pennsylvania who experience heart attack, giving them the best possible chance of recovery and survival,” said Dr. Christopher Mallavarapu, interventional cardiologist, medical director. “As a hospital in a rural community, we deal with characteristics, such as extended interfacility transportation times, and limited staffing resources. We’ve made it a goal to make sure those hurdles do not affect the standard of care our patients receive.”

Mallavarapu has performed more than 15,000 cardiac catheterizations throughout his career. OGH opened the cardiac catheterization laboratory in 2013 and has performed more than 5,749 cardiac procedures including 832 STEMI cases under Mallavarapu’s leadership.

“Here in our small rural town of Olean, we treat 1% of all of New York State’s heart attacks,” added  Mallavarapu. “We have an amazing team along with a great partnership with Kaleida Health’s Gates Vascular Institute in Buffalo, the largest provider of cardiac services in Upstate New York, that provides our patients in our region with access to more advanced care.”

The award recognizes hospitals for their efforts toward STEMI care excellence demonstrated by composite score compliance to guideline-directed care, including timely electrocardiogram and transfer, aspirin administration, administration of thrombolytic therapy, receptor inhibitor and anticoagulant, and more.