Once again, Freeman Heart & Vascular Institute has earned the coveted Level 1 STEMI Center designation from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. This recognition is key when minutes matter most during a heart-related emergency.

Freeman Health System received Level 1 honors in 2017, 2020, 2023, and again in 2026. Because these designations are valid for three years, Freeman will remain a Level 1 STEMI hospital through 2029. As the first hospital in Southwest Missouri to earn Level 1 STEMI status, and the only facility in the area with that designation, Freeman offers 24/7, rapid-response care, including interventional cardiology to open blocked arteries within critical, life-saving timeframes. 

“The STEMI Level I designation is a testament to teamwork at Freeman. The collaboration that takes place with every STEMI patient ensures we are providing highly efficient care, without sacrificing quality,” said Freeman STEMI Coordinator Michelle Wolfe. “Freeman is specifically equipped to treat STEMI patients—improving both speed and quality of care—by coordinating 911 response system, ambulance services, and hospitals in a comprehensive, integrated approach.”

STEMI is a common name for ST-elevation myocardial infarction, a dangerous heart attack caused by a blockage in a major coronary artery. Due to the increased risk of death and disability, patients experiencing a STEMI require immediate care. To that end, Freeman has a “door-to-balloon time” of 57 minutes, which is significantly lower than the 90-minute recommendation from the American Heart Association to restore blood flow to the heart. Door-to-balloon time, Wolfe said, is a time measurement that starts when a patient suffering a cardiac emergency arrives at the emergency department and ends with the inflation of a balloon inside the block artery. STEMI attacks are often treated either with clot-busting medications or inside one of Freeman’s advanced cardiac catheterization labs.

“Time is muscle,” Wolfe said. “The more time it takes to correct the problem, the more permanent damage the heart muscle can sustain.”

To earn Level 1 STEMI designation, Freeman officials and staff completed an extensive and detailed certification process that included paramedics, nursing staff, physicians, cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, system quality analysts, and administration. The hospital had to demonstrate it has the providers and resources needed to treat STEMI patients, and its physicians and staff have met and will continue to meet strict standards of education and demonstrate proficiency in the latest proven STEMI treatments.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2025, with a heart attack occurring every 40 seconds, or 805,000 attacks throughout the year, according to the American Heart Association.

In addition to the Level 1 STEMI recognition, Freeman received five 2025 Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards from the AHA for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times, and fewer readmissions to the hospital. In addition, Freeman received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2025, one of only 323 hospitals and healthcare systems nationwide to receive the honor.