October is Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) honored San Diego Project Heart Beat with the 2009 Public Service Award for its work to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), prevent sudden cardiac death and improve cardiovascular health.
The award was presented at the SCAA Awards Dinner on Saturday, October 10, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago, Illinois, during the SCAA Annual Meeting.
"San Diego Project Heart Beat is being recognized for its leadership in developing a community-wide approach to SCA response through broad deployment of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and CPR training, and generating community support that led to the adoption of progressive local laws further expanding AED placement throughout San Diego," said Chris Chiames, executive director of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. "The San Diego program has been so successful that it is being replicated in other areas of the country."
A public access defibrillation (PAD) program, San Diego Project Heart Beat provides a community-wide approach to SCA response through broad AED deployment and CPR training. Since the program's inception in 2001, San Diego Project Heart Beat has helped deploy more than 4,000 AEDs, saved over 50 lives and trained tens of thousands of people how to perform CPR and use AEDs. It has also generated strong community support for adopting progressive local laws further expanding the presence of AEDs throughout San Diego. The program is a public-private partnership between San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and Rural/Metro Ambulance.
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