February is American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month!

Ann Thompson with the Adam L. Thompson Foundation and Tony Burke with the American Heart Association SD joined Dakota News Now to tell us more about why cardiac emergency response plans can be impactful.

“Most schools don’t have a cardiac emergency response plan. So, if you think about a fire drill or you think about a tornado drill, those happen pretty regularly. But what doesn’t happen is a cardiac emergency response plan. What’s part of that plan is to ensure you have proper equipment, you have a dedicated team of individuals who are trained in CPR and hands-only CPR, AED usage, but also that you practice it every year and you evaluate that every year,” said Burke.

“This session, we have introduced HB 1073, which is cardiac emergency response plans in schools and athletics. We’re really proud to have moved it through the first House Education Committee with unanimous support, and we’re asking the legislators to continue supporting it as it goes through the process.”

“I’m from Baltic, and I’m just a mom, but on May 23, 2012, I lost my son. My husband and I heard our son collapse at home, and we lost him to sudden cardiac arrest. We didn’t know he had a heart issue,” said Thompson.

“This bill is important to me. We started the Adam Thompson Foundation. We 100% give back, donating AEDs, CPR kits, and anything we can. Any kind of education, heart screenings, because, like Tony mentioned, minutes matter.”

The American Heart Association SD is holding Heart Power Day at the South Dakota State Capitol on Wednesday, February 11.

They will be meeting with legislators and bringing in advocates from across the states to share stories and education around heart health and the importance of HB 1073.