Phoenix, Arizona – The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation announced today the first virtual affiliate of its National Survivor Network™ at the National Association of EMS Physicians annual conference. The affiliate will help to localize global awareness efforts and mobilize advocates to extend the Foundation’s mission.
The announcement was made during a presentation to state medical directors hosted by the Foundation and moderated by Bentley J. Bobrow, MD, Medical Director, Arizona Department of Health Services, Bureau of EMS and Trauma System. Three survivors of sudden cardiac arrest shared their stories during the presentation.
Kathie Harden was 33 when she went into cardiac arrest at home in bed. Her husband called 9-1-1 and started chest compressions. She is the mother of two young children and a first and second grade teacher in Flagstaff.
Russell Vossbrink, 36, collapsed at work at the Arizona Department of Public Safety lab. Co-workers used an AED to help save him. He is the father of two young children.
Thomas Francis, an agile, globe-trotting bicyclist, collapsed while riding his bike just a block or so away from entering a remote desert area where he usually rides. Several teenagers saw him go down and called 9-1-1.
All three patients received therapeutic hypothermia as part of their post resuscitation care.
"Having a Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation affiliate in Arizona will be a tremendous addition to the Save Hearts in Arizona Registry & Education (SHARE) Program,” said Bobrow. “It will offer substantial resources and important information to our cardiac arrest survivors."
The new affiliate also serves as an extension to the Foundation’s signature program, the National Survivor Network™, the nation’s first online community of sudden cardiac arrest survivors. The Network gives survivors and their families an opportunity to:
- Find others who have experienced this life‐changing event
- Share experiences and help one another in the healing process
- Participate in research and awareness initiatives designed to help save more lives.
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation welcomes survivors to join the National Survivor Network™ to connect with other survivors and their families, participate in discussion forums, write blog posts or a personal reflection, and help in the fight to raise awareness and ultimately save more lives. Registration is free at www.sca‐aware.org.
The Foundation also invites other EMS Medical Directors to consider creating similar affiliates in their regions.
For more information, contact //info [at] sca-aware.org">info [at] sca-aware.org.