Greene County Emergency Medical Services recently received a grant to help improve response time for cardiac patients.

Emergency Management Coordinator Dennis Morlan says they received a $25,000 grant from the American Heart Association for a 12-lead ECG equipment as part of the “Mission: Lifeline,” a community-based initiative to improve heart attack patient care in rural Iowa.

Morlan told the Board of Supervisors on Monday that currently, patients with myocardial infarction need to be in a cathartic lab within three hours. Using the new equipment will allow paramedics in the field to transmit 12 lead cardiac diagnostic tests to Greene County Medical Center and Des Moines area hospitals in case a patient has to be airlifted to one of their facilities. He adds that their response times will improve dramatically, giving the patient more options for treatment.

Grant funding is made possible by $6.1 million and a $4.6 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.