This may well be a tipping point. Recent indications are:

• Skyrocketing AED deployment
• A dramatic increase in federal and state legislative initiatives calling for CPR/AED education and placement of AEDs in schools, sports venues, workplaces, and other community settings
• A notable shift in nomenclature used by media that correctly refers to “Sudden Cardiac Arrest” vs. “heart attack” in describing the life-threatening condition.

“The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is proud to have contributed to these positive changes,” said Mary M. Newman, MS, president. “The Foundation has worked tirelessly for years to increase awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, help save lives, and support those affected by SCA.”

The Foundation’s focus for this October’s Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness month include:

• Continued efforts to drive worldwide awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and the steps necessary for survival through its website, social media, and the Call-Push-Shock movement
• Improved education, action, and resources for vulnerable and underserved communities
• Advancing the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Alliance, an online community for people affected by cardiac arrest that has attracted more than a thousand members from more than 20 countries so far this year. The initiative is led by experts including physicians, psychologists, survivors and co-survivors. Its goals are to provide evidence-based information, facilitate peer and professional support, and address an unmet need for people personally affected by SCA in their survivorship journeys.
• Programs to recognize lay rescuers
• Significant research support, working in collaboration with universities and academic hospitals
• Advocacy support, including promotion of the federal Access to AEDs Act and promotion of state legislation working in collaboration with the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, led by the NFL.

“For the first time in a long time, we are encouraged that awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest is gaining traction,” said survivor Henry Jampel, MD, MHS, Chair of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation Board of Directors. “With greater awareness, education, and access to AEDs, we will save many more lives.”

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation is a national community benefit 501(c)(3) organization. Our vision is to eliminate preventable death and disability from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and support people affected by SCA. Our mission is to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and promote initiatives that help save lives through education, research, and community. We are proud co-sponsors of the Call-Push-Shock movement and home of the Cardiac Arrest Survivor Alliance, an online community for survivors and loved ones.

Media Contact

Christina Dolan, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, 407-765-0654, [email protected], https://www.sca-aware.org 

Mary M. Newman, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, 724-612-2191, [email protected], https://www.sca-aware.org 

SOURCE Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation