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This is a challenge to save lives.

Click to download: The Drill

Your playbook to create a response plan for Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Click to take: The Challenge

Let's create some memories - Practice YOUR team SCA plan, and enter to win an AED.

Click to learn more: The History

Learn about the program and how the loss of one woman inspired a movement.

 

What is the Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the abrupt loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness. SCA usually results from a problem with the heart's electrical system, which disrupts the heart's pumping action and stops blood flow to your body or could be caused by an impact to the chest.

While it is clear that Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) can occur at any time and without any warning, Typically, schools, teams, workplaces, community programs, or houses of worship do little to prepare to respond to a cardiac emergency. So taking the methods used by sports teams and bands, they use drills, and they practice them over and over to ensure comfort with the process and gain proficiency the more they practice. If current affairs have taught us anything, we never know when a sudden cardiac arrest will happen; therefore, we must be all prepared to respond in a life-or-death emergency with the same methodology and planning as has proven successful elsewhere. 


Here are the Basics of Drill: Dr. Heart

  • Plan your response by understanding the variables of your community
  • Ensure your community CPR and AED training has been obtained based on the prevailing law
  • Practice the drill annually
  • Join the 2024 Challenge

Why is this SCA preparedness necessary?

● Early Defibrillation (An electric shock to restart the heart) improves the chance of survival increases by 75%

● Early Access to the patient, including early recognition of the SCA and call for
EMS. Increases survival by 5%

● Early Basic Life Support (Rescue Breathing and External Chest Compressions), Chance
of survival increases by 10%

● Early Advanced Life Support (Drug therapies to maintain condition) improves long-term outcomes


Where can Drill: Dr. Heart be used? 

  • Workplace
  • Sports teams
  • Recreational programs
  • Schools
  • Houses of Worship
  • Social groups
  • Anywhere hearts gather
Call 911
Call 911
CPR
CPR
Access an AED
Access an AED
Go get EMT's
Go get EMT's
Early Advanced Care
Early Advanced Care

DRILL the “Dr. Heart” play!

As most athletic programs have practices after normal school hours, the school nurse may NOT be on campus during an emergency. Ensure you know your nurse's hours of operation when preparing your emergency action plan.

While “Dr. Heart” can be used for an athlete, it can also be called “Dr. Heart for Coach” or “Dr. Heart for Spectator,” thus protecting all. Each “Dr. Heart” Drill can be customized to the individual school’s emergency action plan.  If you do not have an emergency action plan for a cardiac emergency, you will need to create one within your organization’s structure.

The ultimate goal of “Dr. Heart” is to ensure that every sports team, student activity, classroom, and workplace in the United States practices the drill and is prepared for sudden cardiac arrest.

Scripps News: Christian Bryant and Dr. Matthew Martinez on how some cardiologists are discussing Damar Hamlin's injury and what needs to happen to address these incidents: "You have to be prepared for this event, even if it's rare. But the opportunity is now to get out in front of your own process." #InTheLoop

Drill guidance sample programs

Creators of the HCMA's - Drill: Dr.Heart

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John Titus

He lost his mother to cardiac arrest when he was 13 years old, now an Educator and Collegiate Coach.  Today John brings his family tragedy and his experience coaching student-athletes together to help build a response plan to sudden cardiac arrest.

Salberg

Lisa Salberg

Founder and CEO of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association, HCM/Transplant patient and public health advocate joined with her nephew, John Titus, to create an approach to SCA that prepares responders with training that closely mirrors real-life scenarios.

Questions about getting started?

Drop us a line to find out more!

Partners of the HCMA Drill: Dr. Heart program:

 

 

 

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