Jan21104 Starting Hearts, Saving Lives After Lynn Blake had her own lifechanging encounter with Sudden Cardiac Arrest, she founded Starting Hearts, a pioneering educative non-profit organization that is growing awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and ultimately saving lives. Founded by Lynn Blake, Starting Hearts is a non-profit organization born in Vail, Colorado, dedicated to saving the lives of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) victims. Starting Hearts acts as a platform for citizens, supporters, and community stakeholders to improve outcomes for SCA victims through empowering education, widespread distribution of defibrillators in public locations, and activation of citizen first responders to provide early care confidently and capably when needed. Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating and an electric shock is needed to restart the heart. If not, death will occur within minutes, and is a condition that can occur at any time, to anyone, no matter how active, healthy or old that individual is. In fact, it is the US’s leading cause of death, affecting in excess of 400,000 Americans every year. More than 92% of individuals affected do not survive – a figure that, with the help of Starting Hearts, need not be so high. The Starting Hearts story begins with Lynn herself who, in 2007, at the age of just 27, experienced sudden cardiac arrest. Fortunately, a woman nearby witnessed the scene and was able to start CPR while another passerby called 911. Minutes later, the Vail Fire Department arrived on scene and used a defibrillator to deliver three shocks to Lynn’s chest, saving her life. Without their help and the quick thinking of the bystander who delivered CPR, Lynn may not have been so lucky. Recognizing the opportunity that she had been given, Lynn set about establishing Starting Hearts, with the aim of giving more people the chance that she had. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for Starting Hearts as they continue to deliver exceptional classes and services that are saving lives across the US and beyond. Available to adults and children in workshops and classes for local businesses, organizations and schools, Starting Hearts offers leadership and lifesaving training for free. Its popular and engaging free one-hour CALL.PUSH.SHOCK.™ class is led a team of accredited instructors with the American Heart Association, American Red Cross and American Health and Safety Institute, utilizing instructional videos and hands-on practice. To-date, Starting Hearts has taught over 30,000 citizens and is now preparing its curriculum for online distribution worldwide. Widespread distribution of public access defibrillators is another key initiative of the organization. Starting Hearts owns and manages more than 200 defibrillators in its home county and raised the total to more than 400, a per capita rate of one for every 130 citizens, one of the highest concentrations of lifesaving devices anywhere in the world. Now in its eleventh year of operation, Starting Hearts is keen to share its best practices to likeminded, passionate individuals and organizations. The organization has set a goal to reduce cardiac arrest deaths in America by 100,000 every year by 2040. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to Starting Hearts for collaboration. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for Starting Hearts as they continue to deliver exceptional classes and services that are saving lives across the US and beyond. Contact: Jackie Christiansen Company: Starting Hearts Web Address: www.startinghearts.org
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