Did you know Edmonton is home to a revolutionary heart attack care program that has inspired better treatment and care around the globe?

In 1999, Dr. Robert Welsh was still in-training as a resident at the University of Alberta Hospital when research led him to believe that the standard of care for treating heart attacks could be better. “Typically, the process was to get the patient to the hospital as quickly as possible and begin treatment there. I thought, ‘What if there was a way to administer care more immediately, at the point where the patient is presenting symptoms?’

“People thought I was crazy to take this on but I said ‘I’m going to do this.’ We pushed forward and we found a way to create what we now call the Vital Heart Response program.”

Through progressive innovation, Dr. Welsh and his team have revolutionized the delivery of care to heart attack patients. “It’s the Edmonton Advantage. People say this is the best place in Canada to have a heart attack and our outcomes show they’re right.”