The 10 Best And Worst States To Have A Heart Attack
Nobody wants to have a heart attack, but if we do, we want to know we're in good hands.
Published 1 month ago in Wow
Nobody wants to have a heart attack, but if we do, we want to know we're in good hands. Unfortunately, the American health care system isn't always the best and varies greatly depending on your home state.
Here are our picks for the five best, and five worst states to be in if you're having a heart attack.
1
Specifically, New York City. Thanks to atrocious traffic, the average EMS response time was almost 12 and a half minutes in 2024, compared to a national average around seven minutes. Overcrowded hospitals also make receiving treatment difficult once you reach one. However, thanks to upstate, the state’s numbers overall are only slightly worse than the national averages.3
Based on a study that combined ambulance response times, hospital urgency levels, and general quality of care, HealthGrove ranked Delaware the worst state in the country for its emergency medical response. Seeing as the set has set goals of 10 minutes and 18 minutes for advanced and basic ambulances, they could definitely use some improvement.5
Perhaps the worst state overall, numerous cities reported regular times over 15 minutes. DeKalb County EMS reported that their highest priority calls often took 20 minutes or more. Dunwoody EMS reported 22 minutes, with some calls going unanswered. These numbers can be attributed to understaffing, and crowded hospitals.8
Minnesota doesn’t have fantastic EMS response times, often hovering around 10 minutes. However, the state boasts the nation’s second lowest heart attack death rate. How? A strong medical system, and generally healthy population. Recent staffing initiatives have also aimed to improve response times.