Spectrum Health Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Offer Sudden Cardiac Arrest Education for School Administrators and Athletic Staff

The Spectrum Health Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital invite high school coaches and school administrators to attend an education event on Monday, April 25, 2011.

Andre Gauri, MD, and Bohuslav Finta, MD, electrophysiologists with the Spectrum Health Frederik Meijer Heart & Vascular Institute and interventional cardiologist Ron Grifka, MD, division chief, pediatric cardiology, a Spectrum Health Medical Group physician who practices at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, will provide participants:

An understanding of sudden cardiac arrest
Information of how to respond in a cardiac emergency
Introduction to proper CPR techniques
Education and demonstration of how to use an automatic external defibrillator (AED)

“After the unfortunate death of Wes Leonard, our community has many questions about sudden cardiac arrest,” said Gauri. “Our goal is to arm coaching staff and school administrators with information and education they can share with parents and implement at their schools.”

The Wes Leonard Sudden Cardiac Arrest Symposium begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs until 8:30 p.m. at the Prince Conference Center at Calvin College. Preregistration is required. Call 877.495.2626 for reservations for the free event. The event is not open to the general public but media are welcome to attend.

Schools that attend the event and commit to developing an AED program may be eligible to receive an AED at no charge.

“Following established clinical guidelines is fundamental to providing appropriate medical care,” said Grifka. “Clinical guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Cardiology don’t support ECG screening for all athletes or students. While the debate continues among some physicians and organizations about the best way to assess children and young adults, we are committed to providing accurate education and information.”

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a member of Spectrum Health, is a Grand Rapids-based hospital serving children throughout Michigan. A teaching hospital, it includes nearly 200 pediatric physicians with training in providing medical and surgical care to children in more than 40 pediatric specialties. Visit helendevoschildrens.org to learn more.

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which includes nine hospitals and more than 170 service sites; the Spectrum Health Medical Group and West Michigan Heart, physician groups totaling more than 600 providers; and Priority Health, a health plan with 600,000 members. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer with 17,000 employees. The organization provided $115.9 million in community benefit during its 2010 fiscal year. In 2010, Spectrum Health was named a Top 10 Health System by Thomson Reuters.