South Dakota

Thanks to the generous support and substantial investment of the The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and other valued funders and partners, STEMI patients in rural Minnesota will have a chance at better outcomes.  Mission: Lifeline – Rural Minnesota, a three-year initiative led by the American Heart Association (AHA), will enhance the capacity, systematic response, and quality of care provided to Minnesota’s rural STEMI patients; and, by connecting all efforts throughout Minnesota, will result in a statewide STEMI system of care that saves lives throughout the entire state.  Details of the program, which is similar to the program implemented in South Dakiota 3 years ago, were announced during a press event at the State Capitol. 

Justin Bell, Government Relations Director for the American Heart Association, explained in detail how the program will impact rural Minnesota heart patients and how the program will improve the systems of care and ultimately improve outcomes for heart patients.  For more on this story, CLICK HERE. 

During CPR Week, we encourage everyone to learn CPR - even our lawmakers.  Eighty-eight percent of cardiac arrests occure at home - so knowing CPR can save the life of someone you love.  Encourage your state lawmakers and Governor Daugaard to take the time to learn CPR and how to use the AED.  CLICK HERE to send your message. 

There are a few more things you can do to help promote this life-saving skill: 1)  Learn Hands-Only CPR: Please visit www.handsonlycpr.org to review the two steps to saving a life: 1. Call 911 and 2. Push hard and fast at the center of the chest; and 2) Share this information with family and friends and encourage them to learn Hands-Only CPR and to contact their lawmakers.

Your role in promoting National CPR Week will help bring awareness to the American Heart Association’s educational and public awareness campaign and more importantly may someday save a life!

Residents of Sioux Falls can participate in helping their city become more "fit!" A city health initiative is expanding to see whether neighborhoods have safe and smooth sidewalks, and as a way to find out, officials will let the neighbors do the walking.  Health officials are introducing an event they call a “walk audit” to examine the quality of the pedestrian experience in Sioux Falls. This initiative is a part of the Live Well Sioux Falls initiative. 

The first walk audit was held on Saturday, June 9th, in the Cathedral Historic District. The second walk audit will be part of a two-day conference June 19-20 at the Holiday Inn City Centre and downtown public library. A seminar opens the conference at 1 p.m. June 19 with the walk to follow at 2:30 p.m. For more information about the walk audit, CLICK HERE. 

Is America finally taming it's addiction to sugar?  According to a new study, the answer is yes!  According to this new study, kids are reducing their consumption of carbonated soft drinks, pre-sweetened cereals and fruit drinks and juices, and adults are consuming 49% fewer sweets annually compared with 1998 consumption.   This is good news for our health!  The CDC states that childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the past 30 years. Obesity has a direct impact on cardiovascular health and other chronic diseases.  This is a great step forward in reducing our consumption of sugar.  For more on this story, CLICK HERE. 

Ethan and Polly Rames South Dakota

Our 3rd son, Ethan, was born with a congenital heart defect known as Transposition of the Great Vessels.  We were fortunate that the excellent staff at our local hospital discovered his condition prior to his birth so that we could prepare for the most difficult experience of our lives.  Our pediatric cardiologist and our perinatologist monitored our son's condition in utero until 36 weeks of gestation when I needed to be induced due to complications.  When Ethan was born he needed to have a life threatening surgery performed and was flown from South Dakota to Ann Arbor, MI in an effort to save his life.  Some families are not as lucky as we were to prepare for our baby’s condition at birth.  Many parents assume their baby will be born healthy until afterward and they are thrown into shock by seeing their baby blue and not knowing what is wrong.  Research is key to developing the technology and expertise to diagnose these conditions early in order to make the appropriate decisions in a timely manner. 

Ethan will soon be 8 years old and is medication free.  Without the surgery and care we received at both hospitals, we would not have the wonderful son that has completed our family. Please understand the importance of research, and continue to invest in research to help save other lives, like Ethan’s.

Did you know you can double a cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival by performing Hands-Only CPR immediately? Hands-Only CPR has just two simple steps. If you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse, call 9-1-1, and push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the disco song “Stayin’ Alive” until help arrives. Learn more by watching our 60-second Hands-Only CPR demo video. During CPR week, take the time to learn Hands-Only CPR and encourage friends and family to do the same. 

According to a recent report by the Institute of Medicine, students spend too little time engaged in physical activity at school.  We couldn't agree more!  The American Heart Association has long been an advocate of increasing opportunities for students to be physically active.  Those opportunities can include before and after school programs, participating in intramural and extramural sports, and walking/biking/skateboarding to and from school.

The report also recommends kids do vigorous or moderate-intensity activity for at least 60 minutes per school day through a combination of recess, P.E. and other classes and before-and-after school activities.

Including physical activity in a daily routine, beginning with childhood, can help to curb obesity and the related heart care concerns, such as cardiovascular disease and stroke.  However, according to the South Dakota's 2011 Risky Behavior survey, only 49 percent of students say they were active for the recommended minimum of 60 minutes a day of vigorous activity at least five of the previous seven days; the number was 60 percent for boys and 37 percent for girls. One-third said they were enrolled in a P.E. class at the time.

For more on this story, CLICK HERE. 

Stroke is largely preventable. In fact, it is the No. 1 preventable cause of disability. The American Stroke Association is here to empower you and your loved ones to prevent stroke through knowledge, action and hope.

Stroke is treatable. The American Stroke Association is here to help you to recognize the warning signs, so you can respond fast in a stroke emergency. When you recognize a stroke and act fast by calling 9-1-1, you have a greater chance of survival and recovery. Remember the acronym F.A.S.T. to help you recognize symptoms and what to do:  F – Face weakness, A – Arm weakness. S –Speech difficulties, T - Time to call 9-1-1.

Stroke is beatable. Stroke survivors and their families are not alone in the recovery. The American Stroke Association is here to help with resources to help. Visit strokeassociation.org/together for more information.

Tonya Kraft South Dakota

I lost my mother on June 6^th, 2002, to a massive heart attack.  She was just  53 years old.  It wasn’t just the loss of my mother; it was the realization that there was a genetic issue that could not be hidden anymore. My mothers’ mother and grandmother both passed away from heart disease and strokes, at 56 and 54 respectively. I needed to be aware of and start looking at prevention in my family. I have two daughters that I need to protect and make them aware of the genetic issue of heart disease in the women in my family.

Two years ago at 38, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I have never smoked, I run and work out daily and have always watched what I ate. No matter what I have done to keep myself healthy, the chances of me developing heart disease and possibility of a stroke in my 50’s just increased.

As a family member and an health educator, I became very active in the American Heart Association and on April 8^th and 9^th I was honored to attend the “Join the Cure” in Washington, DC and with other advocates from across the United States have the opportunity to meet and visit with members of our South Dakota congressional delegation and discuss the importance of high blood pressure and advocate on behalf of the Million Hearts Initiative, a public health program to bring awareness to the importance of “Knowing Your Numbers.”  It was an experience I will never forget and enjoyed the people I met and stories I heard.

I encourage everyone to get their blood pressure and cholesterol checked and know your numbers - it can save your life!

Two South Dakota advocates made the trip to Washington DC in April to participate in the AHA Lobby Day on the Hill.  The 2 day experience consisted of attending the Rally for Medical Research, advocacy training, and visits to Capitol Hill.  Advocates Tonya Kraft and Dave Amundson, and staff member Pamela Miller, visted with Senators Tim Johnson and John Thune about AHA priorities to restore funding to the National Institutes of Health to pre-sequester levels, and to allocate 35 million to the Million Hearts campaign to raise awareness for high blood pressure and the related health concerns brought on by hypertension.