Letter: Ask lawmakers to fund Mission Lifeline

Why should where I live determine whether I live? While residents in Iowa's urban areas benefit from systems of care that improve outcomes for heart attack patients, our rural areas are suffering from a lack of emergency equipment and statewide coordination of care. The American Heart Association has asked the legislature for a one-time appropriation of $1.5 million to provide 12-lead ECGs for rural EMS transportation vehicles through Mission: Lifeline.

This equipment will help our local EMTs identify the deadliest type of heart attack (STEMI) and quickly transport the patient to a hospital that can administer the most effective treatment to reduce deaths and improve recovery. Cardiovascular diseases (including stroke) are the No. 1 killer of Iowans. As a father of a child with a heart defect, I want to make sure if I or one of my loved ones suffer a heart attack, we can count on local EMTs to have the equipment and training needed to provide the best possible care, regardless of where we live. An investment in Mission: Lifeline will do that.

Ask your lawmaker to support a one-time appropriation of $1.5 million for Mission: Lifeline. Our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, depend on it.

Jeff Lamka

Marion