The American Heart Association (AHA) is launching a new initiative to address critical gaps in emergency response systems of care, particularly in communication and technology use during cardiac and stroke emergencies. The initiative, supported by T-Mobile, will convene EMS agency leadership, hospital executives, and public health partners in 13 cities to identify where technology can be better leveraged and produce recommendations to strengthen emergency response.
When someone experiences cardiac arrest, a heart attack, or a stroke, reliable communication between dispatch, EMS crews, and receiving hospitals is vital. However, as mobile technologies such as telehealth platforms and mobile stroke units rapidly transform emergency response, critical gaps can arise. The AHA's initiative aims to directly address these gaps and foster the best use of technology in emergency response systems of care.
The 13 target cities include Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. This new initiative will be integrated into the AHA's Mission: Lifeline® EMS program, which engages more than 1,000 EMS agencies and is part of the Nation of Lifesavers movement aiming to double survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by 2030.
"When communication breaks down in the chain of survival, people die," said Kacey Kronenfeld, M.D., FAEMS, volunteer co-chair of the AHA's EMS Task Force. "This initiative translates our national mission into market-level action, working alongside EMS leaders to improve care in real communities."
In each target market, the AHA will host regional system of care forums 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 AHA 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," said Rod Cruz, vice president of growth and emerging businesses at 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 AHA 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.
