Village of Dwight Emergency Medical Services is nationally recognized for its commitment to quality care for heart attacks and strokes.
The American Heart Association presents the Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver achievement award for proven dedication to ensuring access to best practices and life-saving care.
DWIGHT, IL JUN 23, 2026 — Village of Dwight EMS has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Silver achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid and research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attacks and strokes, ultimately saving lives.
Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone goes to the hospital by car. EMS staff are also trained to provide resuscitation efforts to someone whose heart has stopped. People who arrive by ambulance may also receive faster treatment at the hospital.
Mission: Lifeline EMS® is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to advance the system of care for patients with high-risk, time-sensitive disease states, such as severe heart attacks and strokes. The program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment — starting from when 911 is called, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack and stroke patients takes coordination between the individual prehospital providers and health care systems.
“Arguably the most important link in the chains of survival for acute stroke and cardiovascular emergencies is emergency medical services and prehospital professionals,” said Kacey Kronenfeld, M.D., FAEMS, chair of the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Taskforce. “Early condition identification, stabilization and prehospital interventions, and initiation of actions within the regional systems of care provide patients with the best chance for receiving expedient definitive therapies leading to optimal outcomes and maximized quality of life.
“The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline EMS awards are an important way to recognize the crucial roles and performances of EMS personnel in stroke and cardiac patients’ care.”
The Mission: Lifeline EMS achievement award focuses on agencies’ on-scene care, bringing to the forefront the collaboration and contributions to patient care for prehospital providers.
“Dwight EMS is honored to be recognized by the American Heart Association for our dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack patients,” said EMS Director Dustin Campbell “The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis so patients have the best possible chance of survival.”
About Dwight EMS
The Village of Dwight Emergency Medical Services (Dwight EMS) is a municipal, 911-only Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance service serving approximately 13,000 residents across a 253-square-mile region in rural Livingston County, Illinois. In addition to the Village of Dwight, Dwight EMS serves as the primary EMS provider for the Odell Fire Protection District, Emington-Campus Fire Protection District, portions of Allen Township, and surrounding rural communities through contractual service agreements and response obligations.
The department’s service area includes the communities of Dwight, Odell, Ransom, Campus, Emington, and Blackstone, as well as extensive rural areas throughout Livingston County. Dwight EMS provides emergency medical care and transportation services along major transportation corridors, including Interstate 55, Historic U.S. Route 66, Illinois Routes 17 and 47, freight and passenger rail lines, and numerous agricultural, industrial, and critical infrastructure facilities.
As the region’s primary ALS provider, Dwight EMS plays a vital role in protecting public health and safety, particularly in a rural environment where transport time to definitive medical care can exceed those of more urban communities. The department is committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-based emergency medical care while supporting community health, public education, emergency preparedness, and access to lifesaving services for residents, businesses, travelers, and vulnerable populations throughout its service area.
About Mission: Lifeline
Mission: Lifeline EMS® recognition is the American Heart Association’s program that recognizes prehospital emergency agencies for their quality of care for heart attack and stroke patients. The recognition program focuses on transforming care quality by connecting all heart attack and stroke care components into a seamlessly integrated care system. Key tenets of these systems of care reinforce evidence-based guidelines and measure performance, identify gaps, and engage in quality improvement.
