Heart Disease - American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is the largest nonprofit voluntary health organization fighting cardiovascular diseases, which annually kill about 950,000 Americans. Nationwide, the Association has grown to include more than 22.5 million volunteers and supporters who carry out its mission in communities across the country.
Locally, the American Heart Association battles cardiovascular disease in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties through its Operation Heartbeat program, a community-based initiative that seeks to strengthen the region’s “Chain of Survival” for cardiac arrest. While the survival rate for cardiac arrest in Philadelphia is only 5 percent, this number could improve dramatically if community members follow the four steps in the Chain, which include:
Operation Heartbeat utilizes both volunteers and AHA staff to identify gaps in a community’s Chain as well as ways to implement stronger emergency response systems to improve survival rates. These response plans frequently include CPR and AED training in schools, workplaces, community centers and churches, as well as placing AEDs with first responders such as police and fire departments and in public places where large numbers of people gather. Recent AED placements made by the Association include the Philadelphia Phillies ballpark, the National Constitution Center, the Franklin Institute, the Forrest Theatre, and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts.
In addition to CPR and AED training, the Association works with other area organizations at a variety of community events, including health fairs, conferences and special programs.
The American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, also works within the community to raise awareness about stroke, America’s no. 3 killer. Through its local Stroke Alert campaign, the Association screens more than 7,000 area residents annually for stroke risk, while its Operation Stroke initiative works to educate the public on the need for stroke to be treated as a medical emergency. Operation Stroke also works with area hospitals to implement its Acute Stroke Treatment Program (ASTP) to strengthen the practice guidelines for managing stroke patients.
For more information on the American Heart Association, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit http://www.americanheart.org.
