As the wife of a stroke survivor in Northern Virginia, I have seen first hand the importance of immediate action for acute cardiovascular events.  There are many hospitals in my area, and a lot of traffic almost all day long.  If I were having a heart attack or one of my friends, I would want to be sure we went directly to the most appropriate hospital for care. Knowing the traffic delays in my region, and having learned that anyone can have an emergency at any time and any place (my husband was only 36, and at the gym), I urge the regulations governing triage and destination to be changed to include ST-elevation myocardial infarction, along with trauma, and stroke.  The specific regulatory citation and edit is listed below.  This change has the potential of saving lives, and reducing disability from cardiovascular disease.  Thank you,

Stephanie Mensh, Falls Church, Virginia

The proposed change to 12VAC5-31-390 “Destination to specialty care hospitals” states “An EMS agency shall follow specialty care hospital triage plans for trauma, stroke, and others as recognized by OEMS…”  As a critically time-sensitive condition, STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) should be included in the list of required triage plans.  The recommended language should read:  “An EMS agency shall follow specialty care hospital triage plans for trauma, stroke, STEMI, and others as recognized by OEMS…”