Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association Launches Long Island and Queen...( Long Island and Queens Groups Wil...),Health

Long Island and Queens Groups Will Work to Prevent Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Through Public Education and Advocacy

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA) announced today that it has launched Long Island and Queens chapters as it builds a network of local organizations to help carry out its mission of preventing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

The Queens chapter is led by Lorraine Monaghan, a cardiac care nurse, and the group plans to involve sudden cardiac arrest survivors as well as patients with implanted cardiac defibrillators (ICDs), emergency and medical professionals and other interested volunteers.

The Long Island Miracles chapter is led by Andrea Ellinger, a fellow cardiac care nurse, and the chapter has scheduled its first meeting for Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Outreach Center of Winthrop Hospital in Mineola.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading killer in the U.S., striking more than 350,000 annually, with a survival rate of only about five percent. The death rate for SCA exceeds the combined death rate of breast cancer, lung cancer, stroke and HIV/AIDS. SCA is triggered by an electrical problem with the heart that causes the heart to stop beating, and is often confused with a heart attack. SCA victims can often be revived with CPR and quick access to defibrillation to shock the heart back into rhythm. While there are more AEDs in public facilities and more patients implanted with Internal Cardiac Defibrillators (ICDs), broader AED deployment and better patient understanding of the condition is critical to improving the odds of survival.

SCAA today announced its first 13 chapters and affiliates and expects to have at least 25 in place by this spring. SCAA chapters and affiliates bring together sudden cardiac arrest survivors, patients, medical and emergency professionals and community leaders to carry out public education and advo
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