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| Local organizations apply full-court press to help prevent cardiac arrest in teens |
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| 4 de abril de 2008 |
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Boston Public Schools students and athletes are receiving a gift from the heart that could help save lives on and off the athletic field. Philips Healthcare is supporting Children's Hospital Boston's Boston Public Schools Sports Medicine Initiative by placing HeartStart automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in 17 Boston Public Schools* and creating a public awareness campaign with the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation y Comcast SportsNet.
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| (L to R) Sandra Fenwick, COO of Children's; Mike Miller, Philips Healthcare; Mayor Thomas Menino; Wyc Grousbeck, Boston Celtics Managing Partner; Dr. Lyle Micheli; photo courtesy Lipofsky.com |
Philips is collaborating with the hospital's División de medicina deportiva, one of the top pediatric sports medicine programs in the world. The program's director, Lyle J. Micheli, MD, is a leading authority in sports medicine health care and renowned for his pioneering pediatric and adolescent sports medicine research. Dr. Micheli's program has a strong community outreach component that offers physician and athletic trainer support to adolescent athletes in the City of Boston and surrounding communities. Philips is donating the HeartStart AEDs, which help treat victims of the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest by shocking the heart to restore a rhythm, to Boston's inner city neighborhoods.
"Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in young athletes, and Boston athletes are no exception as we've seen in recent local news," says Dr. Micheli. "This generous gift from Philips will provide critically needed equipment to help school athletic programs and EMS staff who respond to these medical emergencies save lives."
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Experts like Micheli believe that AEDs, along with appropriate cardiac screening, and educational campaigns that promote CPR and AED training, have a profound impact on the survival rate of on-field sudden cardiac arrests.
"For every minute that a person is in cardiac arrest, his chance of survival goes down by about 10 percent, so it's critical that AEDs are easily accessible," says Micheli.
Philips Healthcare has taken the initiative nationwide through its "Save an Athlete Program" that educates student athletes, families, doctors, athletic directors and coaches about preventing Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) through early cardiac screenings.
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| Athletes from the Boston Public Schools students practice using the HeartStart automated external defibrillators (AEDs) donated by Phillips |
"Far too many lives are lost to sudden cardiac arrest, and when it strikes the youth in our communities, the profound sense of loss is often shared by not only family and friends, but also teachers, coaches, administrators, and members of the emergency response services," says Mike Miller, Senior Vice President of Cardiac Care at Philips Healthcare. "Philips is committed to encouraging students and athletes to be heart healthy and learn how to be prepared in a medical emergency. We are so proud to be able to donate HeartStart Defibrillators to help schools in our own backyard with the power to save a life."
To raise public awareness of the importance of cardiac screening and good health, Children's and Philips are working with Comcast SportsNet and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation to create and distribute a public service announcement (PSA) highlighting the importance of cardiac screening and AED use at athletic sites throughout New England. Celtics great Tommy Heinsohn and Dr. Micheli appear in the PSA.
Children's, Philips and Comcast SportsNet will also create three co-branded youth sports vignettes that will run on Comcast SportsNet. The Shamrock Foundation and Comcast Sports will feature the PSA and vignettes as streaming video on their Web sites. The Shamrock Foundation partners with community based organizations that provide healthcare, shelter and vital services for children in need, including, Children's Hospital Boston.
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Contacte:
Amy Sweeney
617-355-4102
amy.sweeney@childrens.harvard.edu
Children's Hospital Boston, an internationally renowned center for medical research and treatment founded in 1869, is home to one of the world's largest research enterprises, generating discoveries that benefit patients worldwide. Recognized for its many "research firsts," Children's is one of the only pediatric hospitals nationwide that focuses on pairing world-class research with clinical resources to provide top therapies to treat and cure children. These scientific advances don't help only children; they also have far-reaching implications for treating adults. Para obtener más información, visite www.childrenshospital.org.
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle, delivering people-centric, innovative products, services and solutions through the brand promise of "sense and simplicity". Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 123,800 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 27 billion in 2007, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, as well as lifestyle solutions for personal wellbeing. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
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The mission of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation is to extend the reach of the Celtics championship legacy into our community. The Shamrock Foundation benefits our children directly, through programs that provide education and support. The Shamrock Foundation also partners with community based organizations that provide healthcare, shelter and vital services for children in need. Our 2008 community partners include Perkins School for the Blind, Children's Hospital Boston, Horizons for Homeless Children and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC).
Comcast SportsNet reaches more than 3.7 million households in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Comcast SportsNet's programming includes Boston Celtics, Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight, Twin River New England Tailgate, and Net Impact. Comcast SportsNet is owned and managed by Comcast SportsNet. Comcast SportsNet operates 11 sports networks that cover more than 2,400 live sporting events annually and deliver comprehensive sports news and analysis to 38 million cable and satellite homes. These networks provide live game coverage of 17 professional teams as well as college, minor league and other sports. For more information see ComcastSportsNet.com.
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* Boston Public Schools Athletic Programs recommended for receiving an AED for their sports: Brighton High School; Burke High School; Dorchester High School; East Boston High School; Hyde Park High School; New Mission High School; South Boston High School; M.S. Snowden International School at Copley; West Roxbury High School; Latin Academy; Boston Latin; Charlestown High School; John D. O'Bryant School; Madison Park Technical Vocational School; Fenway High School; The English High School; and one more to be determined.
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