Salisbury, MD — TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford, Delaware has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition Silver recognition for its commitment to providing rapid, research-based care for people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), considered more severe and life-threatening than other types of heart attacks.
In addition, TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, in Salisbury, Maryland, has received NSTEMI Bronze recognition for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).
Each year, more than 1.2 million people in the U.S. are hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report.
About 30% of ACS cases are classified as STEMI, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery.
“When someone experiences a STEMI heart attack, American Heart Association guidelines call for specific actions to be performed in the hospital in a consistent and timely manner to prevent further myocardial damage and to save lives,” said Karen E. Joynt Maddox, M.D., MPH, 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. TidalHealth Nanticoke is being recognized for consistently providing patients with the care, guidance and medical therapy they need to have the best possible chance of survival.”
The Get With The Guidelines – Coronary Artery Disease Rural Recognition is given to hospitals that demonstrate a sustained commitment to treating patients according to the most current, research-based guidelines for STEMI care, as outlined by the American Heart Association.
“We are proud that our team at TidalHealth Nanticoke is being recognized for the important work we do every day to improve the lives of people in the region who experience heart attack,” said Lisa Gullett, Cath Lab Manager. “As a hospital serving a rural community, we are faced with unique challenges given our location. We stay committed to providing the best care to our patients.”
This recognition reflects hospitals’ performance in delivering guideline-directed STEMI care, demonstrated through composite compliance measures that include timely electrocardiogram and transfer, aspirin administration, thrombolytic therapy, receptor inhibitor and anticoagulant use, and other evidence-based interventions.
About 70% of ACS cases are classified as NSTEMI, caused by a partial blockage in a coronary artery.
“For patients experiencing an NSTEMI heart attack, following the American Heart Association’s guidelines is essential,” said Abhinav Goyal, M.D., MHS, FACC, FAHA, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Coronary Artery Disease System of Care Advisory Group. “These evidence-based recommendations support high-quality in-hospital care and appropriate cardiac rehabilitation after discharge.”
Each year, hospitals earn NSTEMI recognition by demonstrating a sustained commitment to treating patients according to the most current, evidence-based guidelines for NSTEMI care, as outlined by the American Heart Association.
“TidalHealth Peninsula is dedicated to improving the quality of heart attack care, and the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines program helps us achieve that goal,” said Joseph Cinderella, MD, Chief of Cardiology and Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Labs at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional. “The program puts proven science and guidelines into practice every day, giving people experiencing a heart attack the best possible chance of survival.”
“We are proud of the teams’ efforts at TidalHealth Peninsula and TidalHealth Nanticoke in these recognitions, once again, providing quality care to patients in our region,” said Jeanne Ruff, Senior Administrative Director of the Guerrieri Heart & Vascular Institute. “This demonstrates the seamless process starting with EMS and Emergency Departments, through to the interventional procedure and hospital setting, to outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation. TidalHealth is committed to be the leader in cardiac care.”
About Get With The Guidelines®
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 18 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
