UM Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) has earned multiple American Heart Association (AHA) awards recognizing its commitment to delivering high-quality, evidence-based care for patients experiencing heart disease and the most severe heart attacks. Pictured are members of UM SRH’s Senior Leadership team and UM SRH’s Cardiovascular Services team, including the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Cardiovascular Diagnostics, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and UM Shore Medical Group-Cardiology.
UM Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) has earned multiple American Heart Association (AHA) awards recognizing its commitment to delivering high-quality, evidence-based care for patients experiencing heart disease and the most severe heart attacks. Together, these honors highlight excellence in clinical performance, rapid intervention, and regional collaboration — all focused on improving outcomes and saving lives. UM Shore Regional Health is a member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System.
These awards honor hospitals that offer 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. Studies show patients experience better outcomes, shorter recovery times, and fewer hospital readmissions when care teams adhere to evidence-based protocols.
UM SRH received the Mission: Lifeline® Regional Award for its regional collaboration regarding the care for those experiencing the most severe heart attacks. The Mission: Lifeline Regional achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to work with their referring and receiving hospital partners, as well as EMS, to establish a system of care based on the most up-to-date research-based guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association.
UM SRH has also received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition STEMI Gold and the Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Center STEMI Receiving Bronze Plus recognitions.
“These recognitions underscore the strength of our interventional cardiology program and the effectiveness of our regional systems of care,” said Jeffrey Etherton, MD, Medical Director of Interventional Cardiology Services at UM Shore Regional Health. “For STEMI patients, minutes matter. Through close coordination with EMS and regional hospital partners, we are able to deliver faster, lifesaving interventions that significantly improve survival and recovery.”
Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, according to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Statistical Update.
Each year, more than 1 million cases of acute coronary syndrome require hospitalization in the U.S., with approximately 30% classified as STEMI, caused by a complete blockage of a coronary artery. Rapid restoration of blood flow through mechanical intervention or clot-dissolving medication is critical to prevent death and permanent heart damage.
“Delivering outstanding cardiovascular care requires consistency, accountability and a commitment to evidence-based medicine — placing patients at the heart of every decision,” said Timothy Shanahan, DO, Medical Director, UM Shore Medical Group. “These awards reflect the dedication of Dr. Etherton, who pours his heart and soul into this program, as well as the dedication of our entire cardiology team, to follow nationally recognized guidelines that improve outcomes and help ensure our patients receive the right care at the right time.”
Mission: Lifeline® is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to improve systems of care for time-sensitive cardiovascular emergencies by reducing barriers from the initial 911 call and EMS transport through hospital treatment and discharge.
About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
A member organization of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of five counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore: Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot. UM SRH consists of approximately 2,000 team members, including more than 600 health care providers on the Medical Staff, who work with community partners to advance the values that are foundational to our mission: Compassion, Discovery, Excellence, Diversity and Integrity. For more information, visit https://www.umms.org/shore.
About the University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland. UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit www.umms.org.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.