Corporate and Political PR Pro to Lead Sudden Cardiac Arrest A...( WASHINGTON Sept. 7 /- The Sudden ...),Health

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) has appointed Chris Chiames as its Executive Director.

"We are excited to have Chris join SCAA as we begin to implement our strategic plan, build a broad membership base, and work toward our goal of eliminating preventable sudden cardiac arrest deaths (SCA) by the year 2020," said Richard Brown, chair of the SCAA Board of Directors. "Advancements in medical technology and treatment can eliminate up to 40 percent of all sudden cardiac arrest deaths. SCAA has a dual mission of public education and the broader use of public access defibrillators and implanted cardiac defibrillator therapies. Chris' broad career in public relations combined with his own personal experience with sudden cardiac arrest issues will help make the SCAA a leader in the public advocacy and education tasks we are undertaking."

Chiames brings to SCAA more than 25 years of government and corporate experience with a strong background in public relations, marketing, issues management and public advocacy. He joins SCAA directly from the consulting firm of F&H Solutions Group. He previously spent more than 15 years in the airline industry and was most recently Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at US Airways. He also held senior public affairs positions at American Airlines, the Air Transport Association, and Burson-Marsteller. He began his career in Washington as Press Secretary to former U.S. House Majority Whip Tony Coelho. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard and a Master of Arts in Journalism/ Political Communication from the University of Maryland.

"Thanks to medical technology, implanted defibrillators (ICDs) are 98% effective at protecting from sudden cardiac arrest, yet less than one-third of the nearly 1 million Americans most at risk for sudden cardiac arrest currently have an ICD," said Chiames. "SCAA will be looking to broaden awareness and bring toge
'/>"/>