Heart Safe news: Our weekly update on what’s happening in the world of heart safety and noninvasive cardiology

Electronic Medical Records: $975 million in federal funding for health IT

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $975 million in grants to help states and healthcare organizations develop and use electronic medical records systems.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced $975 million in federal funds for health IT

The grants include $386 million to 40 states for government health IT systems; $375 million to 32 nonprofits involved in developing regional centers to assist health care organizations with the transition to electronic medical records; and $225 million, awarded through the Department of Labor, to support job training programs in 30 states that will focus on skills for health IT.

The grant program is a part of the economic stimulus package that went info effect in 2009. In her announcement, Sibelius said the funding will help make health IT available to more than 100,000 providers by 2014.

“Health information technology can make our health care system more efficient and improve the quality of care we all receive,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. “These grant awards, the first of their kind, will help develop our electronic infrastructure and give doctors and other health care providers the support they need as they adopt this powerful technology.”

The Department of Health and Human Services released this list of health IT grant recipients.

“An Invitation to Save Lives” in Denmark

Anders Ladekarl, General Secretary, Danish Red Cross; Svend Hedegaard, Project Manager, Danish Red Cross; Jacob Kleberg, Area Manager, Cardiac Science; Laurie S. Fulton, US Ambassador to Denmark; and Jens Just, Marketing Director, Cardiac Science

Last year Cardiac Science worked with the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen to host “An Invitation to Save Lives,” an event for Danish businesses. The survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Denmark is currently currently about 6 percent.

Anders Ladekarl, Secretary of the Danish Red Cross talked about the impact of cardiac arrest on families and businesses. Ladekarl told the audience that while 90 percent of Danes say they want to learn first aid, only one-third have taken first aid training. He recommended that businesses offer that training in the workplace as a benefit to employees and the community — and to the businesses themselves.

Leaders of two Danish firms shared their experiences creating AED programs in their companies, and Dr. Fredrik Folke, of Herlev Hospital, discussed the medical aspects of sudden cardiac arrest. The business representatives also heard from a cardiac arrest survivor. A recreational soccer player, the man had collapsed on the field and was revived thanks to a referee with paramedic training who used a nearby AED at the playing field. The man later recovered, and later donated a Powerheart AED G3 to his own soccer team.

U.K. defibrillators: Cumbria County funds Powerheart AED G3 purchase

Mark Jones, chair of Windermere First Responders, with new Powerheart AED

The Windermere Area First Responders group has added a new Powerheart automated external defibrillator to their equipment, thanks to a grant from the Cumbria County Council.

The North-West Evening Mail reports that the responders’ group has responded to 110 calls in the past three months. The group currently has five heart defibrillators stored in its area.

Mark Jones, chairman of Windermere Area First Responders, said: “The grant for the new defibrillator will help speed up our response time to many of our call outs. We know that the first eight minutes after a heart attack, for example, are vital. By storing the equipment in some of our busiest areas we can avoid making a detour and get to the scene as quickly as possible.”

Related Products

• Powerheart AED G3 Plus
• Powerheart AED G3 Fully Automatic and Semi-automatic
• Powerheart AED G3 Pro
• Powerheart AED G3 Trainer
• AED Program Management

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• Cardiac Science AEDs in Spain [VIDEO] - April 4th, 2011
• Cardiac Science wins first major public access defibrillation program in Europe - March 30th, 2011
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• Sad stories, avoidable deaths? - March 23rd, 2011
• Texas school's AED saves 6-year-old's life - March 22nd, 2011