| Help Raise Awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest - Urge your Senator to Co-Sponsor S.Res. 530 |
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Please contact your Senators and ask them to co-sponsor Senate Resolution 530 (S.Res. 530), declaring the week starting October 5, 2008 to be “National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Week”. As you know, Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is one of the nation’s leading killers, claiming the lives of over a quarter of a million Americans each year. Yet it is still not well understood by doctors, researchers or recognized by the general public. Most incidents of SCA occur without any warning signs. It can strike at any age – even healthy infants, high school athletes, and adults with no signs of prior heart disease. Most victims of SCA - 95% - die because they are not able to receive a life-saving shock from an automated external defibrillator (AED) within 4-6 minutes after the incident. In fact, for those who can be identified to be at risk for a SCA, an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is 98% effective at preventing a deadly arrest. This week of awareness about SCA will complement activities across the country aimed at increasing public awareness of this deadly health condition, campaigning for more research into factors that cause or could prevent SCA, and championing programs to increase access to life-saving therapies. Write your Senator today and ask him/her to co-sponsor S.Res. 530, designating a ‘‘National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Week’’. |
