PEDIATRIC
CARDIOLOGIST ACCEPTS NATIONAL H.E.R.O. AWARD
MILWAUKEE
- Pediatric cardiologist Stuart Berger, M.D., recently accepted
the national Health Education Recognition Objective (H.E.R.O.) Award
for his role in educating community leaders and health care professionals
about sudden cardiac arrest and the importance of automatic external
defibrillators (AEDs).
The award was presented by School Health Corporation, the leading
provider of school health supplies in the nation.
Berger serves as the medical director of Project A.D.A.M, which
aims to bring CPR training and public access defibrillation to all
Wisconsin high schools.
"Dr. Berger has devoted countless hours to meeting with community
leaders, health care professionals and the general public about
risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest, the value of screening and
the role of AEDs in saving lives," said Susan Rogers, president,
School Health Corporation. "Because of his efforts, many schools
in Wisconsin have taken the initial step to review their current
heart health programs."
The medical director of both the pediatric heart transplant program
and the Heart Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Berger
is also the section chief of pediatric cardiology in the department
of pediatrics and associate professor of pediatrics at
Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Berger also serves on the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Chapter
of the American Heart Association and is a Councilor for the Wisconsin
Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. In addition to his
extensive speaking experience, he has written numerous original
papers, abstracts and textbook chapters.
Project A.D.A.M. (Automatic Defibrillators in Adam's Memory) is
named for Adam Lemel a 17-year-old Milwaukee boy who suffered a
sudden cardiac arrest and collapsed while playing basketball in
1999. The project was launched by Adam's friend, David Ellis, another
H.E.R.O. Award recipient.
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the heart abruptly stops beating.
This most often results from a disturbance in the heart's electrical
activity, which causes it to quiver uncontrollably and renders it
unable to efficiently pump blood. Approximately 1,000 Americans
die of sudden cardiac arrest each day according to the American
Heart Association.
Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) can convert the heart's
irregular electrical activity into a normal rhythm after a cardiac
arrest. For each minute that passes without defibrillation, a cardiac
arrest victim's chance of survival decreases seven to 10 percent.
For this reason, public health advocates including the American
Heart Association, nurses, cardiologists and even President Clinton
recommend
that AEDs be readily accessible wherever large groups of people
congregate.
Founded in 1950, School Health Corporation achieved success in the industry
by focusing on the needs of its customers and by broadening its product
line to include a wide variety of medical supplies. Located in Hanover Park,
Ill., School Health Corporation has a 50,000 square-foot brick and mortar
facility well equipped to fulfill orders.
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