TEEN,
PHYSICIAN HONORED WITH NATIONAL H.E.R.O. AWARDS
HANOVER
PARK, Ill.- Two Wisconsin individuals who have led efforts
to bring automated external defibrillators (AEDs) into the school
setting have recently received the national H.E.R.O. (Health Education
Recognition Objective) Award.
School Health Corporation presented the H.E.R.O. Awards to David
Ellis and Stuart Berger, M.D., during the National Association of
School Nurses' Annual Conference on June 29, 2000, in Milwaukee.
The H.E.R.O. Award is given to individuals whose efforts have improved
the health and well-being of children and adults in the school setting.
Award recipient Ellis, 18, initiated Project A.D.A.M. (Automatic
Defibrillators in Adam's Memory) in 1999 after his close friend,
Adam Lemel, died of sudden cardiac arrest while playing high school
basketball. Project A.D.A.M. aims to bring CPR training and public
access defibrillation to all 500 high schools in the state of Wisconsin.
The success of Project A.D.A.M. can also be attributed to the efforts
of Stuart Berger, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital
of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Berger is the second recipient of the national award. He was instrumental
in integrating Project A.D.A.M. into the Heart Center of Children's
Hospital of Wisconsin. As the medical director, Berger introduced
Project A.D.A.M. to community leaders, health
care professionals and the general public, discussing risk factors
for sudden cardiac death, the value of screening and the importance
of AEDs.
"Both David Ellis and Dr. Berger have distinguished themselves
by championing the life-saving cause of bringing automatic external
defibrillators (AEDs) into the school setting," said Susan
Rogers, president of School Health Corporation.
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 potentially convert
the heart's irregular electrical activity into a normal rhythm,
allowing the heart to pump normally after 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 like Dr. Berger and even President Clinton
recommend that AEDs be readily accessible wherever large groups
of people congregate.
School Health Corporation is the largest provider of school health supplies
in the nation. The
company strives to educate communities and professionals about various health
issues that may affect children. 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
made through its Web site, healthgiant.com, and through its printed catalogs.
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