PREVENTION THE BEST MEDICINE
- TESTS SAVE LIVES
HEART SCREENING FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE OF CAVE CREEK
(Phoenix, Arizona
September 2, 2008) In a matter of minutes, a simple ultrasound test can save
a life. These tests are not available during the average sports physical, but
are available through the program offered by the Anthony Bates Foundation. The
leading cause of death to a young athlete in our country is heart related. In the past seven years Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
has claimed at least 20 young Arizonans under the age of 40. The most notable were UofA Football recruit, McCollin Umeh, age 18 and Univ.
of Hawaii football player from Paradise
Valley School District’s Shadow Mountain High School, Mitch Farney, age 20. The
next Arizona Cardiac Screening Day, brought to you by the Anthony Bates Foundation
(ABF), Parent Heart Watch (PHW) and their event sponsors, will support the cardiac screening tests done at Tatum Ranch Community Center
on September 20, 2008. Previous heart screenings organized by the Anthony Bates
Foundation across the nation have resulted in the detection of heart abnormalities in over 10% of young people screened.
On Saturday, September 20, 2008, starting
at 11:00 am the Anthony Bates Foundation will offer echocardiogram (ultrasound) and electrocardiogram (EKG) tests to young
people. ABF has organized dozens of Cardiac
Screening Days in Arizona
and across the nation, providing heart screening tests to students and the general public.
Pre-registration is recommended for all participants to assist in the flow of traffic and allow everyone the opportunity
interested to have a screening. For more details log onto www.AnthonyBates.org. Event sponsors also include Boston Scientific, Vangent, Inc.,
and Siemens Medical Solutions. Although the screenings are offered FREE to the public, people are encouraged to donate $50
for students and $75 or more for adults. Donations and sponsorships will assist
ABF with cost and expense to manage the non-profit foundation, offer future screenings, and continue research projects. These donations will directly benefit the Anthony Bates Foundation cardiac screening
programs in Arizona.
According to the Heart Rhythm Society
(www.hrsonline.org) each year more than 7,000 young people under 19 years of age die from undetected heart conditions or SCA. Plus, the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Assoc. (www.4HCM.org) states that approximately 36% of the young people that will die from SCA succumb to the detectible condition of Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy (HCM). This is the same condition that killed basketball stars
Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis and recently the football greats like Damion Nash and Thomas Herrion. Of the thousands of young people that die from SCA it
is reported by Dr. Barry Maron, Minneapolis Heart Institute, only a few hundred of these young people are athletes. More can be done to protect all kids from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
Preventative tests are the norm in countries such as Italy, UK, and Japan.
Parent Heart Watch (PHW) is a state-by-state network of parents dedicated
to reducing the often disastrous effects of SCA in children. PHW is an organization founded by parents who have either
lost a child to SCA or whose child is at known risk for SCA. PHW grew from the friendship of Rachel Moyer, PA,
Linette Derminer, OH, Sharon
Bates, AZ, and Laura Friend, TX, all who lost their children to sudden cardiac arrest resulting from undiagnosed heart problems.
The members of PHW advocate for awareness and change - all with the goal of protecting children from SCA. For more information
on Parent Heart Watch, visit www.parentheartwatch.org.
The Anthony Bates Foundation is non-profit
organization dedicated to saving young lives through early detection of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), and many other
heart irregularities in young people. Through heart screenings and other ABF
activities, volunteers continue to educate young people and their families nationally about heart health and HCM. ABF has conducted heart screenings now in Washington, California,
Arizona, Kansas,
Texas and Nevada, providing
more than 4,600 free or low cost echocardiograms, as well as teaching Community Cardiac Screening Training for people interested
in providing these screening programs worldwide. The echocardiogram tests average
$1,500 per test across the country. In providing these services, the ABF has
made available approximately $6.6 million dollars of free / low cost medical services to those interested in their heart health
and protection from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
WHO:
ANTHONY BATES FOUNDATION and PARENT HEART WATCH
WHAT:
CARDIAC SCREENING DAY
WHERE:
29811 N. TATUM BLVD., CAVE CREEK, AZ
85331
WHEN:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2008 11:00 A.M. – 2:30 P.M.
WHY:
TO SCREEN FOR UNDETECTED HEART PROBLEMS