Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Nationally Recognized for its Commitment to Excellence in Heart Attack and Heart Failure Care

The American Heart Association presents the Get With The Guidelines® - Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Center Gold and Heart Failure Receiving Center Bronze Awards

(New Brunswick, NJ) - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) has received the American Heart Association's (AHA) Get With The Guidelines® - Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Center Gold with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll recognition for its commitment to providing rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). STEMI is considered more severe and life-threatening than other types of heart attacks. RWJUH is part of the RWJBarnabas Health Heart and Vascular network of care.

Each year, more than 1.2 million people in the U.S. are hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to the American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. About 30% of ACS cases are classified as STEMI, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery.

"Receiving national recognition from the American Heart Association is a testament to the exceptional skill, dedication, and teamwork of our cardiovascular physicians, nurses, emergency medical services partners, and clinical staff who form the chain of survival that is critical to having successful outcomes in these cases," said Maya Guglin, MD, PhD, Interim Chief of Cardiology, RWJUH and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS). Dr. Guglin is also a professor of medicine at RWJMS. "For patients experiencing the most serious type of heart attack, every minute matters. This achievement reflects our team's shared commitment to delivering rapid, evidence-based care that saves lives, preserves heart function, and helps our patients return to healthy lives."

Recognition as a STEMI Receiving Center awards hospitals that provide around-the-clock support for patients experiencing STEMI. These facilities coordinate closely with a network of referring hospitals and emergency medical services to deliver timely, guideline-directed STEMI and NSTEMI care.

Each year, hospitals earn STEMI Receiving Center recognition by demonstrating a sustained commitment to treating people according to the most current, science-based guidelines for STEMI care, as outlined by the American Heart Association.

In addition to STEMI Gold recognition, RWJUH received the AHA's Get With The Guidelines® Heart Failure Bronze Achievement Award, which highlights the hospital's commitment to delivering evidence-based, high-quality care for patients with heart failure. The Bronze designation is awarded to hospitals that demonstrate consistent adherence to nationally recognized treatment guidelines and performance measures for at least 90 consecutive days, helping to improve patient outcomes, reduce readmissions, and ensure patients receive the most appropriate therapies and follow-up care.

"Pursuing clinical excellence is at the heart of everything we do at RWJUH," said RWJUH President Alan Lee. "Being recognized by the American Heart Association for the quality of care we provide to patients experiencing STEMI heart attacks and heart failure reflects the dedication of our entire team to delivering timely, lifesaving treatment. This achievement is the result of our continued investment in innovative technology, our commitment to advancing groundbreaking research with our academic partners at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a culture rooted in learning and sharing best practices among all team members to help us achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients."

In addition to STEMI recognition, RWJUH received the AHA's Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart attack.

Certified by The Joint Commission, RWJUH's Comprehensive Cardiac Center is both a state and national leader in advancing innovative, state-of-the-art heart and vascular care. RWJUH's program highlights include:

• RWJUH, in partnership with RWJMS, has been designated as a National Rare Disease Center of Excellence by the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD).
  
• RWJUH is the first hospital in the state to receive this designation making New Jersey one of only 29 states in the U.S. to host such a Center of Excellence.
• RWJUH's and RWJMS' Amyloidosis Center has been designated as an International Center of Excellence by the International Society of Amyloidosis (ISA).
• The Advanced Heart Failure Program offers the full spectrum of care for people with advanced heart failure, including biventricular pacemakers, left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), access to clinical trials and a Medicare-certified heart transplantation service.
• The Extracorporeal Life Support Program provides extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a specialized cardiac and respiratory support system.
• The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) provides world-class cardiac care to patients requiring cardiac surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), heart transplants and ventricular assist device implantation, among other procedures, in a warm, family-centered setting.
• State-of-the-art cardiovascular operating rooms (OR) offering the most advanced medical imaging and integrated surgical technology on the market to ensure the safest environment for our patients when receiving open heart, minimally invasive, or robotic cardiac procedures.
• One of the busiest, most technologically advanced cardiovascular catheterization labs in New Jersey, which has performed over 12,000 procedures.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 724-bed academic medical center in New Brunswick that is New Jersey's largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers Cancer Institute. RWJUH is home to the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a nationally-ranked 2026-27 Best Children's Hospital by U.S. News & World Report. RWJUH is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Regional Hospital for 2026-2027 with 10 High Performing Adult Specialties and Conditions. Centers of Excellence include heart and vascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, pediatrics and women's health. As the only state-designated Adult Level 1 Trauma Center with an ACS COT Level I-verified Pediatric Trauma Center in New Jersey, RWJUH serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick.

Contact: Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
(732) 937-8568