Gwinnett Medical Center receives American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Silver Quality Achievement Award for heart attack care
Award demonstrates GMC’s commitment to care for heart attack patients

Lawrenceville - Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC) has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline^® Silver Receiving Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes GMC’s commitment and success in implementing an exceptional standard of care for heart attack patients.

Each year in the United States, nearly 300,000 people have a STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, the most severe form of heart attack. A STEMI occurs when a blood clot completely blocks an artery to the heart. To prevent death, it’s critical to immediately restore blood flow, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.

Hospitals involved in Mission: Lifeline are part of a system that makes sure STEMI patients get the right care they need, as quickly as possible. Mission: Lifeline focuses on improving the system of care for these patients and at the same time improving care for all heart attack patients.

As a “STEMI Receiving Hospital,” GMC meets high standards of performance in quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients to open the blocked artery. Before they are discharged, patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers and they receive smoking cessation counseling if needed. Hospitals must adhere to these guidelines-based measures at a set level for a designated period of time to be eligible for the achievement awards.

“With our full continuum of cardiac care – beginning even before a patient arrives in our emergency department and continuing throughout the Strickland Heart Center,” said GMC President and CEO Phil Wolfe, “we are dedicated to making our cardiac services among the best in the country.  The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that by making it easier for our professionals to improve the outcomes of our cardiac patients. We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team.”

About Gwinnett Medical Center
Gwinnett Medical Center is a nationally-recognized, not-for-profit healthcare network with acute-care hospitals in Lawrenceville and Duluth. Offering cardiovascular, orthopedic and neuroscience specialty care as well as a full continuum of wellness services, GMC’s 4,500 associates and 800 affiliated physicians serve more than 400,000 patients annually. To learn more about how GMC is transforming healthcare, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org or follow us at https://www.facebook.com/gwinnettmedical, twitter.com/gwinnettmedical or youtube.com/gwinnettmedical.

About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines.  For more information, visit heart.org/missionlifeline and heart.org/quality. 

Apparently, I am from the old school. Who knew? I’ve always fancied myself as one who kept abreast of modern technologies, current events, social rhythms, and etcetera. I have never denied my chronological age; in fact I enjoy it. I’ve earned every day of it. But, I have never wanted to be one of those guys who finds a chair in the corner and watches the world go by.

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While attending a graduation party recently, Dustin Mattox was called over by a mother of a grad who introduced him to a friend. “This is someone who helped raise my son,” she declared. Dustin, by spending enormous amounts of time with student-athletes in a local public high school, was there to provide support, guidance, and friendship. 

Dustin is a team chaplain, mentor, and character coach at Grayson High School. He is also part of the organization called NG3, which stands for Next Generation referring to current youth who will be future leaders. The 3, stands for the three tenants of the organization; character, community, and change.

NG3 started in 2011 when Dustin met Matt Williams who was a chaplain at Brookwood High School. They hit it off from the start and learned that they both were like-minded and passionate about serving students. “We saw the need to minister to the athlete,” Dustin said. “Matt had the vision of duplicating what he does on other campuses in Gwinnett. I fell in love with that vision and now we are doing it at Grayson.”

Now the organization has five men who serve in local public high schools. One whose name might be recognized is Jon Stinchcomb, who played at UGA and the NFL. “He’s the community developer and has a big heart,” Dustin says of Jon. “He wants to give back.”

Mattox grew up in Colbert, Georgia and graduated from Shorter College with a degree in Communication Leadership. While growing up in his church in Athens, he was involved in SWAT Ministries (Students With A Testimony) where he got his start in serving and ministering. “God called me to do this, it’s something I’ve been passionate about since I was 16,” Dustin said.

Dustin’s youth pastor, Jon Messarra, started SWAT and is a huge reason why  I’m doing what I’m doing’ Dustin said. “He taught me how to lead by giving me a place to lead even when I wasn’t ready. But he gave me the tools and I grew into it. We still stay in touch weekly and he remained a mentor and friend”. 

After college, Mattox continued his work with SWAT and later became a teacher at Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula. He married Erin in 2003 and and they have three children 1, 4, and 6 years old. Dustin next served as youth minister at Graystone Church in Grayson for several years and he began getting to know the young people in the area. Mattox then met Matt Williams and NG3 was formed.

The impact of NG3 is being felt and the results are impressive. “We target the student-athlete,” says Dustin. “We want to be a shoulder, ear, and a voice during hard times and crisis. We get to be with the students all the time, when celebrating and when hurting.”

So far the community is behind NG3 and supports them. “We want to build long-lasting relationships,” said Dustin. He currently is the chaplain or ‘character coach’ for the football and track teams at Grayson High School. He attends every practice and event and is there building relationships and being supportive. “Half the job is just showing up,” he says. But Dustin does much more than show up, he is there to build character, instill discipline, and challenge the students. He feels that sometimes its better to go deeper with a few students than to be shallow with many. 

Attendance at Dustin’s Bible studies, instruction, and one-on-one mentoring is voluntary. He often has an athlete come to him on the side and ask for prayer. The coaches are all for it and welcome the support. “We want the coaches to see us as an asset,” Dustin says. 

With any ministry, there are challenges. Getting through to some students in a public high school can be a struggle as there are many preconceived notions. “I want them to see me as a valuable member of the community, not just a religious person,” Dustin insists.

As a ministry, Dustin and NG3 have no salary and rely on support from the community. The roller-coaster of donations are a major challenge and they are grateful for every dollar sent their way so they can spend the time they need in fulfilling their mission. A positive and productive organization, NG3 is making a difference in Gwinnett County. You can reach any of the staff at NG3 staff by emailing info@ng3.co. For more information visit htttp://www.ng3.co.

Donations can be made online at http://www.ng3.co or mailed to:
NG3, 1440 Dogwood Rd, Snellville GA 30078.

Gwinnie Awards given at The Hudgens

(May 2013) The Hudgens Center for the Arts in Duluth recently held its annual Appreciation Evening recently, at which Volunteer of the Year awards were given, as well as ‘Gwinnie Awards,’ in recognition to those who have made outstanding contributions to The Hudgens and the arts community in general over the last year.

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