Take Heart America

"Take Heart America is a demonstration project designed to show how cardiac arrest survival rates in America's cities can be significantly increased through a comprehensive, community-wide approach. THA has deployed state-of-the art resuscitation science strategies and outreach programs in four demonstration communities: St. Cloud, MN; Anoka Co, MN; Columbus, OH; and Austin, Texas. Combining the efforts of doctors, nurses, paramedics, health educators and community leaders, THA has successfully proved the validity of our general concept by increasing survival rates more than two-fold. Sudden cardiac arrest claims more than 300,000 lives per year, nearly 1,000 people each day in the United States alone. Current statistics reveal merely five percent of SCA victims survive to leave the hospital."