Pictured are (foreground l to r): Bolt for the Heart Founder Pierre Twer, Michigan City Mayor Duane Parry, Play for Jake Foundation Founder Julie West, La Porte Mayor Tom Dermody and Franciscan Health Michigan City President and CEO Dean Mazzoni.Representatives from Franciscan Health Michigan City joined Bolt from the Heart and the Play for Jake Foundation at Franciscan Beacon Hospital to present a total of 40 automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) to the Michigan City Police Department, La Porte Police Department and the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office.
The presentations to the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department (20 AEDs), Michigan City Police Department (13 AEDs) and La Porte Police Department (six AEDs) complete Bolt for the Heart’s goal of having an AED in every patrol vehicle in the fleet. An additional AED was purchased for the Porter County Sheriff’s Office by Franciscan Health Crown Point Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon J. Michael Tuchek, DO, FACS.
The AEDs were purchased with funds generated by the Bolt for the Heart Hallowrun race Oct. 29 in Michigan City, sponsored by Franciscan Health Michigan City.
Each year, sudden cardiac arrest kills 335,000 people of all ages and fitness levels without warning. Ninety five percent of those who suffer sudden cardiac arrest die because CPR and defibrillation are administered too late. If the first person on the scene knew CPR and applied an AED within five minutes, the American Heart Association estimates at least 40,000 more lives per year could be saved.
Law enforcement officials are often the first on the scene and are better equipped to save lives with the patrol vehicle AEDs donated through fundraising events in partnership with Bolt from the Heart.
Franciscan Health offers 10-minute, non-invasive $49 heart scans with a free heart risk assessment included with every screening, to help patients and their doctors determine risk for heart disease. Heart scans are recommended for men and women age 40 and older with one or more of the following risk factors: current or former smoker, diabetes, family history of heart disease (parent or sibling), abnormal cholesterol level or high blood pressure.
For more information on the $49 heart scans or to schedule an appointment, call (888) 895-8774 or go online to www.franciscanhealth.org/conditions-and-services/heart-care/heart-scan.
For more information on the Bolt for the Heart, go to www.boltfortheheart.com.
