May 3, 2007 — Next Thursday, May 10, in Denver, CO, more than 25 leading heart advocacy groups will announce the formation of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Coalition, dedicated to advancing increased research, awareness and educational efforts to address the nation’s No. 1 cardiovascular killer.
The coalition will use its collective strength of physicians, patients, caregivers, first responders and other supporters to urge Congress and federal agencies involved in national health policies and programs to devote more resources to greater public awareness of SCA, research and access to life-saving therapies. The federal government has made great strides in research and treatment advances for many of our major health threats — breast cancer, lung cancer, AIDS and stroke. Members of the coalition believe the nation needs to now focus increased attention to a killer that takes more American lives every year than any of those diseases.
The announcement, which will take place as part of Heart Rhythm 2007, the Society’s 28th Annual Scientific Sessions, will also include the release of a national survey which will demonstrate that a critical mass of Americans are concerned about the threat of SCA to their families, the lack of awareness of warning signs, risk factors, and treatment options and the need for more research on sudden cardiac arrest.
Featured speakers at the press conference will include: Dr. Dwight Reynolds, president of the Heart Rhythm Society, one of the founders of the SCA Coalition; Diane Canova, executive director of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, a patient advocacy group, and co-chair of the SCA Coalition; and Judy Sudmeier, a Denver nurse who survived SCA nearly three years ago.
July 31, 2024 
