Illinois

On June 10, Illinois Heart Rescue and Chicago Cubs, along with staff and volunteers from the American Heart Association, partnered to teach  hundreds of baseball fans Hands-Only CPR.  Participants learned to save a life and received a free t-shirt prior to the Cubs game on Monday night.  Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney from Lakeview also presented awards to everyday heros who know how to save lives! 

Would you know what to do if a family member or friend collapsed in front of you with a sudden cardiac arrest?  Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is NOT the same as a heart attack.  During a SCA an electrical disturbance of the heart causes it to stop pumping blood, suddenly and unexpectedly.  SCA can happen to anyone including adults and children. It offers no warning and is more common than *** cancer, prostate cancer and AIDS combined! 

SAVING A LIFE IS EASY! Visit www.handsonlycpr.org to learn how YOU can save a life!

Have you been saved by CPR?  Have you performed CPR on someone?  We want to hear from you!  Please share your story with us by contact Anne Simaytis at anne.simaytis@heart.org.  You might even be featured in an upcoming issue of our Pulse Newsletter! 

June 1 - 7 was National CPR Week. It’s a great time to learn the two steps to staying alive with Hands-Only CPR. Anyone can learn CPR – and everyone should!

Sadly, 70 percent of Americans may feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they either do not know how to administer CPR or their training has significantly lapsed. This alarming statistic could hit close to home, because home is exactly where 88 percent of cardiac arrests occur. Put very simply: The life you save with CPR is mostly likely to be someone you love. Only 32% of out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims receive CPR from bystanders witnessing the cardiac event. A victim’s chance of survival decreases 7-10 percent each minute a bystander does not take action and perform CPR or use an automated external defibrillator (AED).

Have you been saved by CPR?  Have you performed CPR on someone?  We want to hear from you!  Please share your story with us by contact Anne Simaytis at anne.simaytis@heart.org.  You might even be featured in an upcoming issue of our Pulse Newsletter! 

We are very excited to announce that the Pulse Ox bill, HB 2661, has passed the legislature and is headed to the Governor's desk for his signature. 

Thanks to so many of you who went above and beyond by submitting witness slips and You’re the Cure action alerts throughout the spring, our bill to ensure that all Illinois newborns are screened for potentially life-threatening critical congenital heart defects, has now passed the House for the second (and thankfully final) time and is on its way to the Governor! 

HB 2661 will help save lives in Illinois for years to come, and wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of our terrific volunteers, partner organizations, and champions in the legislature.  Thank you once again for your help in making this important bill a reality!

We have exciting news to share from Springfield on HB 2661, the pulse ox bill - last week the bill passage out of the Senate Public Health Committee 9-0!  Now the bill moves forward to be voted on by the entire Senate.  We need your help to urge your Senator to vote YES and pass this bill successfully out of the Senate.  Take action now!  

H.B. 2661 would ensure all newborns in Illinois are screened using pulse oximetry for critical congenital heart defects prior to hospital discharge.  Nearly one in three infants who die from birth defects has a heart defect, with critical congenital heart defects occurring in roughly 8 out of every 1,000 live births.  Ensuring that all newborns are appropriately screened for heart defects before being discharged from the hospital via pulse oximetry is simply the right thing to do.   

For more information on this bill or to get involved further in helping to make it law, please contact Anne Simaytis at anne.simaytis@heart.org 

During the month of May, the American Stroke Association works hard to spread awareness of the signs of a stroke. You can share the following information with your audience to help them spot the signs of a stroke, using F.A.S.T.

F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke. When you can spot the signs, you'll know that you need to call 9-1-1 for help right away. F.A.S.T. is:

F - Face Drooping
A - Arm Weakness
S - Speech Difficulty
T - Time to Call 911 if you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms

This public service announcement aims to communicate the importance of recognizing the often subtle signs of a stroke. The PSAs show that body language can communicate a wide range of emotions, but one of the most important things it can tell you is if someone might be having a stroke.

AHA President, Dr. Donna Arnett’s stroke story was published earlier this afternoon in USA Today. Donna’s account of the stroke she suffered while in her 20’s is a powerful reminder of the life-saving work that the AHA/ASA does every day, and especially during American Stroke Month, to fight the devastating impacts of stroke. She is living proof that strokes are beatable and treatable. The article from USA Today can also be viewed online here.

Have you or someone you know suffered a stroke and are looking for some additional support?  Please take a minute to check out the Illinois stroke support organization Stroke Survivors Empowering Each Other (SSEEO): http://www.sseeo.org/.  SSEEO has many great resource for stroke survivors and their families.

Michele Beck Glen Ellyn, IL

When I was 33 years old, I went to see my doctor and told her that I had pains in my chest and shortness of breath. I am a petite woman and was thin and young. Therefore, my doctor didn't run one heart test. I continued to see her off and on for one more year. Then at the age of 34 I had a heart attack. I called the paramedics and they came to my house and told me I was having an anxiety attack. They graciously took me to the hospital where I had another heart attack in the ER. Since that date I have two stents placed in my heart. The medications I take are not made for a woman who ages and changes. Research is needed badly so that it can keep up with the changes a women's body goes through. I am thankful to be alive, I pray to live so I can see my grandchildren grow up. Research will increase my chance of reaching an old age. Without research my daughters and granddaughters will all suffer the same fate in life that I have suffered.

Thanks to Go Red For Women, I learned the value of Hands-Only CPR and in July of 2011, I used it on my husband who died of a sudden cardiac death and is alive and sitting next to me today as I type. This is the value of research and knowing CPR.  I recently had the opportunity to attend You're the Cure On the Hill, AHA's national lobby day and advocate for research funding and share my story with my lawmakers.  I am blessed by all of the people I met at the event and pray with my husband Gary that heart disease and stroke lessen each year and the million hearts we save grow up to each save a million more.

What to do When the Support Leaves You
Presented by: Sandy Hoelzel, RN, MSN, CRRN of Resurrection Medical Center
Tuesday, May 14th, 12:00-1:00 pm central time

How do you manage your life at home and in the community when your support leaves you? Where do you go in the community or how do you get access to needed services? What healthcare professionals can help you? Do you contact social workers, case mangers, etc? What other organizations can help you through this challenging time? Learn more about managing these changes and what resources and support are available. 

IMPORTANT CALL-IN INFORMATION: Participation on the calls is absolutely free but advance registration is required due to limited line availability. Please contact us at 1-888-988-8047 or christine@sseeo.org and provide the following information: first and last name(s), mailing and e-mail addresses and telephone number. We will get back to you with an 800 number and pass code, which allows you to access the conference call. Registration deadline is Monday May 13th, 2013.

The SSEEO Toll-Free Teleconference Series builds community, provides support and shares information by connecting survivors, caregivers, health professionals and other stroke stakeholders.

Students, teachers, first responders, American Heart Association volunteers and elected officials gathered at Jerling Jr. High-School in Orland Park on Monday to celebrate two terrific accomplishments: the conclusion of a CPR/AED training course that taught roughly 200 7th graders how to save a life; and a terrific Hoops for Heart fundraising effort to raise money for the AHA.  Guest speakers ranged from Orland Park Fire Dept. officers to Southpaw, the official mascot of the Chicago White Sox, and a good time was had by all.  The central take-away, made clear by AHA Advocacy Committee Member Lynne Donegan, was this:" every life is worth saving, and every one of us should learn how to save a life."  The CPR and AED training programs at Jerling JHS and elsewhere in Orland Park have the potential to save a lot of lives, and should be seen as a model for school systems across the state. Check out the Chicago Tribune's coerage of the event here. 

Today is the day to QUIT smoking!  The Cook County $1 increase in the price went into effect today.  Yesterday American Heart Association Chicago Metro Board President and You’re the Cure advocate Dr. Sandra Burke participated in a press conference with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle regarding the tax increase.  Dr. Burke did a great job emphasizing the wonderful health benefits this tax would have on the community including stopping kids from ever picking up smoking and forcing long-time smokers to kick the deadly habit. Check out this link to the story from the Chicago Sun Times featuring Dr. Burke.

On Feb. 6, policymakers in Springfield went red in celebration of American Heart Month!  Led by the Conference of Women Legislators (COWL) the Illinois Department of Public Health and the American Heart Association policymakers wore red and gathered for a group photo to raise awareness for the fight against heart disease and stroke.  To see more photos from the event check out out Facebook page here.