Thank you, Phil Fasone, for Giving Your Time and Advocating for a Healthier Tomorrow!

Throughout November, our blog will feature AHA volunteer stories of survival and hope.

We know there are thousands of stories like these - thats why we want to say “Thanks” to all of you for “Giving” your time and sharing your lives with us.

You can’t spell CURE without U! Thank you for all you do to build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

YOU’RE THE CURE!!!

Read about Phil Fasone's story below:

My name is Phil Fasone and I am proud to be part of the American Heart Association’s advocacy program; especially for AED legislation. My personal story illustrates that with knowledge comes power: In this case, the power to help save lives.

Eleven years ago I found employment with WorldPoint Inc., a distributor of the American Heart Association. WorldPoint offers free CPR classes to all its employees. In the course, I learned many things including the signs and symptoms of a heart attach and how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). These were two life-saving skills that would change my life.

While I was traveling though O’Hare International Airport, I witnessed a passenger go into sudden cardiac arrest. Because of the American Heart Association’s Heartsaver AED Course, I was able to offer my assistance. I defibrillated the victim two times and he regained consciousness at the scene. The paramedics were then able to safely transport him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Several years later at the age of 39, I realized I was suffering from the signs and symptoms of a heart attach. I was able to get to the hospital in plenty of time where they discovered I had 5 blockages in my coronary arteries and required 6 stents. Had I not been aware of these signs and symptoms, I would have never realized the importance of immediately seeking medical treatment. The outcome could have been very different.

Volunteering as an advocate for the American Heart Association is a way to support their mission of saving lives. “Learn and Live” is not just their slogan, it is the hope that their staff and volunteers bring to a community.

Be sure to join the advocacy network of volunteers, You're the Cure, at http://www.yourethecure.org/ to LEARN how you can help others LIVE by telling our lawmakers to make heart health a national priority!

Hands Can Do Incredible Things...But Nothing Compares to Using Them to Save a Life!

If an adult suddenly collapsed, would you know what to do?

Hands-Only CPR is easy, and it is helping save lives. Go to http://www.handsonlycpr.org/ to learn more.

CPR. A lifesaving action.
When an adult has a sudden cardiac arrest, his or her survival depends greatly on immediately getting CPR from someone nearby. Unfortunately, less than 1/3 of those people who experience a cardiac arrest at home, work or in a public location get that help. Most bystanders are worried that they might do something wrong or make things worse. That’s why the AHA has simplified things.

Don’t be afraid. Your actions can only help.
It’s not normal to see an adult suddenly collapse, but if you do, call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest. Don’t be afraid. Your actions can only help. Take a minute and look around this site and invite your friends! Increasing the number of people who know about Hands-OnlyTM CPR will increase the chance that someone can help when an adult suddenly collapses, and more lives can be saved.

Check out this video to see Hands-Only CPR in action.

Cardiac arrested

www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-1022edit2oct22,0,716256.story

October 22, 2009

If you're struck by a heart attack in Los Angeles, Boston or many Chicago suburbs, you're fortunate in at least one way: The ambulance that speeds you to the hospital is outfitted with the latest in high-tech equipment to help save your life. It's a device called a 12-lead EKG and it is designed to let paramedics and hospitals know quickly if you're having a so-called STEMI, or "widowmaker," heart attack. That's the kind in which a major artery to the heart is largely or completely blocked. It's the kind that most consistently kills.

But heart attack victims in Chicago aren't so lucky. Not one of the Chicago Fire Department's 75 ambulances carries these advanced EKGs, Tribune reporter Judith Graham has reported.

"The ugly truth is that Chicago is behind the times" on its emergency response, said Dr. John Kao, director of cardiology at the Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Chicago.

Why isn't Chicago keeping pace with Waukegan, Winnetka, Franklin Park, Bolingbrook, Bensenville, Aurora, Arlington Heights, La Grange -- and many more suburbs that outfitted ambulances with these machines?

The Fire Department explanation:

1. Money. The cost of buying the equipment and training Chicago paramedics is estimated at $4 million.

2. Protocol. Fire Department ambulances operate under strict rules: They rush heart attack patients to the nearest hospital. But the new equipment would complicate that decision. Some hospitals aren't ready to treat STEMI (short for ST segment elevation myocardial infarction) heart attacks. They don't have special teams ready to perform emergency balloon angioplasty around the clock. Only about half of Chicago's hospitals can do that, and many are on the North Side. Sounds like a hospital turf war brewing.

Chicago fire officials say there's no reason to buy expensive EKGs before everyone agrees on rules that will establish equal care for every neighborhood across the city.

Health care professionals have a different view, a different sense of urgency. For the last year or so, the American Heart Association has led a drive called Mission: Lifeline to bring 12-lead EKGs to Chicago.

But right now it should be called Mission: Life Support because progress is frustratingly slow. What the effort needs, says Anne Gavic-Ott, the director of Mission: Lifeline, is a leader who will say, "This is a priority. Get it done."

We know money is very tight (see the editorial at left). If Chicago can't start now with a buying program, private givers ought to step up. As for the rules, many cities and towns in Illinois have figured that out. They've done so because hospitals and ambulance operators got together and worked out the rules.

Couldn't Chicago take its cue from them? How about rolling out a pilot program? Northwestern Memorial Hospital offered to launch such a program a couple of years ago but talks with the Fire Department "never went anywhere," says Dr. Charles Davidson, medical director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Northwestern Memorial.

Why not plug into the hospitals that are ready right now to receive radio transmissions of the vital EKG information from an ambulance? Or a fax.

Even if EMS workers hand-carried the information from the EKGs into the emergency room, they'd still save a minimum of 10 to 15 critical minutes.

A heart attack victim in an ambulance doesn't want to hear about endless talks.

Let's focus on what's best for patients and get this done.

Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune

AHA Advocate Voices Opinion on Idea of Menu Labeling Programs

I was disappointed to read Steve Chapman’s recent column “Adding fat to the nanny state” (Oct. 11). Mr. Chapman suggests that menu labeling programs at fast food restaurants—which provide consumers with vital nutrition information including calorie counts and fat content--are ineffective in encouraging diners to choose healthier menu options. Menu labeling programs are just beginning in many states, and I believe that over time, they will make an enormous impact on the way Americans eat. Instead of declaring this relatively recent initiative a failure, we should be educating the public on the health costs of the foods they’re choosing and reinforcing that message at every possible opportunity.

Think of it in terms of a company who advertises in the Tribune. If that company places one ad in your paper and gets little to no response to it, what do you tell them? “Sorry it didn’t work”? No, you tell them that a successful campaign is based on repetition of the message. Studies regularly show that consumers must see ad messaging multiple times before they even begin to make a purchasing decision.

So, let’s take a lesson from our friends in advertising and give the Menu Labeling programs some time to sink in. The information they provide can save lives, and repetition and education will be the key to the success of these initiatives.

-Andy Rauh, M.D.
River Forest, IL

Legislative Victories for the American Heart Association thanks to Corporate-lead Employee Giving Drives!

A few weeks ago the Daily Herald ran this story about a golfer who suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of his game. While the American Heart Association may not have been mentioned in the article, we were all over it – from the research we funded in the early 1960’s that led to the development of CPR, to our development of resuscitation guidelines that are recognized as the international gold standard, to our leadership in passing the Colleen O’Sullivan Act in Springfield a few years ago requiring athletic facilities, including golf courses, to have AEDs.

This is just one example of how the AHA is working every day to improve the quality of care for heart and stroke patients – right here in our back yards.

In fact, we’re working for patients and families from the moment a person dials 9-1-1. We know that when it comes to diagnosing and treating stroke, minutes matter. The American Heart Association has been working for years to improve the systems of care in Illinois for stroke patients. And in August, Governor Quinn signed into law House Bill 2244, which will ensure that stroke patients are taken not just to the closest hospital, but to the nearest primary stroke center – one that is best equipped to treat stroke. Thanks to our advocacy efforts, your family members and friends – and possibly you – will have much quicker access to effective, proven treatments, which could significantly reduce serious disability from stroke and greatly improve overall quality of life.

How can YOU help us continue to build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke? Well, one way you can take action is to designate the AHA in your employee giving campaign. Help us to continue to celebrate legislative victories like the ones mentioned above.

Each year, millions of dollars are raised for research and education through these campaigns. Please consider choosing the American Heart Association this year and be a part of our mission by taking action today:

1.) Participate in your company’s employee giving campaign! Be part of the team and part of your community.
2.) Choose the American Heart Association through payroll deduction. Every penny helps us fulfill our mission.
3.) If the American Heart Association is not a listed organization, designate it in the ‘write in’ option.
4.) Talk to your campaign manager and ask them to add the AHA as a direct giving option for next year’s campaign.
5.) Spread the word! Share your passion with others and encourage them to choose the American Heart Association!

**If you have questions about how to designate the AHA through your employee giving campaign in Illinois, please contact Melissa Lach: Melissa.Lach@heart.org