State officials have reconfirmed that people in northeast Georgia who suffer a heart attack or a cardiac arrest can count on receiving the highest standard of life-saving care from Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) and Georgia Heart Institute. Four NGMC hospitals have been reaccredited as Emergency Cardiac Care Centers (ECCC) by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Northeast Georgia Health System made history in 2020 by becoming the first health system in the state with hospitals receiving the ECCC designation. Hospitals seeking ECCC accreditation undergo a thorough evaluation process, including a site inspection and an assessment of emergency cardiac care processes and equipment. Once these steps are complete, the Georgia Department of Public Health uses a three-level designation system to rank the capabilities of each facility:
- Level 1 hospitals perform open-heart surgery and interventional cardiac catheterizations.
- Level 2 hospitals perform interventional cardiac catheterizations.
- Level 3 hospitals stabilize patients until they are transported to a Level 1 or Level 2 center.
The following NGMC hospitals were reaccredited:
- NGMC Gainesville (Level 1)
- NGMC Braselton (Level 2)
- NGMC Barrow and NGMC Lumpkin (Level 3)
NGMC Habersham received Level 3 accreditation in 2024. It is on a different cycle from the other hospitals and was not up for reaccreditation this year.
“When someone suffers a cardiac event such as a heart attack or a cardiac arrest, every moment counts,” said Mudassar Ahmed, MD, chief cardiology officer of Georgia Heart Institute. “Performing at the level of an accredited Emergency Cardiac Care Center is truly a team effort, beginning with the first responders who stabilize the patient with medications. The process continues during transport as the EMS crew shares vital patient information with the hospital. Once the patient arrives at the cath lab, cardiologists and our teams are well prepared to give them their best chance at surviving and thriving after their emergency.”
For more information about emergency cardiac care at NGHS, or to schedule an appointment with an expert cardiologist, visit georgiaheartinstitute.org/eccc.
About Georgia Heart Institute
Georgia Heart Institute is the most forward-thinking heart and vascular program in the state and includes one of the largest cardiology practices in the region, including more than 120 clinicians seeing patients at more than a dozen locations. With a multi-disciplinary team of experts treating nearly every type of heart and vascular disease and participating in leading national research, we’re providing advanced care that ensures lasting heart health for generations. Request an appointment and learn more at georgiaheartinstitute.org.
The experts of Georgia Heart Institute also form the core of the cardiac care team at Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s acute care hospitals in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder, Dahlonega and Demorest. It’s all part of Northeast Georgia Health System, a non-profit which serves more than 1 million people across the region. Learn more at nghs.com.