PITTSBURGH, PA--In 2008, Laerdal Medical, Philips Healthcare and ZOLL Medical Corporation formed a CPR Improvement Working Group to improve CPR quality. Each company contributed substantial financial resources to support efforts in this area and the Working Group used these funds to make grants to support this goal across many activities. The Working Group had many successes, including making recommendations for measuring CPR quality in training and clinical situations, for reviewing CPR performance, and for post-event debriefing. A number of articles were published in the popular media and many experts were funded. The companies recently agreed the Working Group’s objectives have been achieved and the activities have been extraordinarily successful.
Because of this success, the companies are formally ending the agreement and dissolving the Working Group. To close out their accounts, the three companies distributed the balance of funds to organizations they believe are aligned with the Working Group’s initial goal—to improve CPR quality. To this end, they have provided a generous unrestricted grant “to support the ongoing and important work of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation.”
Company representatives Alf-Christian Dybdahl (Laerdal Medical), Brian Arbanas (Philips Healthcare), and Ward Hamilton (ZOLL Medical), stated: “The goals of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation are in direct alignment with the Working Group’s objectives. Importantly, your work in understanding the nature of public perceptions about CPR will add considerable value to messages that motivate the public to recognize cardiac arrest and provide CPR.”
Further, they noted, “Most of us working in industry have benefitted for many years from the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation’s educational and informational activities, so we are pleased to be able to assist the organization as we complete our work.”
In accepting the grant, Henry Jampel, MD, chair of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation Board of Directors and sudden cardiac arrest survivor, said, “We are honored that the CPR Working Group has recognized our efforts to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and help save lives. This generous grant will help us continue to pursue our noble, lifesaving mission.”
SOURCE: Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation