Medtronic Foundation -- HeartRescue Grants

Through HeartRescue grants, the Medtronic Foundation partners with communities and organizations to initiate or enhance early defibrillation programs to save lives that would otherwise be lost to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). During the past five years, the foundation has partnered with more than 100 communities and organizations around the world and provided them with over $4 million in HeartRescue grants. These groups promote the benefits of early defibrillation and work to train community members on CPR and AED use.

Moving forward, the foundation will work to increase the number of lives saved from SCA by expanding its focus both to prevent SCA and to support patients after an SCA event. Priority will be given to applicants who address one or more methods of intervention in treating SCA:

• before SCA: education on risk factors and therapy options, including implantation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator for high-risk patients
• during SCA: training and awareness programs that are part of community-wide early defibrillation efforts, including CPR and AED training
• after SCA: support and outreach to survivors of SCA and their families, including information, post-event assessment, local resources, and peer support groups.

For more information, go to:
http://www.medtronic.com/foundation/programs_hr.html