Photo by Richard Hurd
Madison Ballet Partners with American Heart Association to Bring Life-Saving Resources to Their Facility
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 27, 2021
Madison Ballet Partners with American Heart Association to Bring Life-Saving Resources to Their Facility
Madison, WI – Madison Ballet and the American Heart Association (AHA) are partnering to provide life-saving CPR/AED training to Madison Ballet’s faculty and staff. This partnership coincides with the local nonprofit acquiring their first on-site automated external defibrillator (AED) earlier this month.
Madison Ballet has students of all ages practicing and performing high-impact athletics in their facility. It makes both common and scientific sense to have their faculty trained in CPR, with an AED on site so that they are optimally equipped to respond to emergencies. Implementing additional safety measures is appropriate given the raised health and safety risks as a result of COVID-19.
“COVID has brought with it increased numbers of pediatric patients with abnormal heart rhythms, recovering from varying degrees of cardiac inflammation,” says Dr. Andrea Rock, Pediatric Cardiology Specialist, SSM Health. “Fortunately, the impact of the inflammatory reactions in the heart has been reduced by vaccinating young adults, but the true incidence and long-term impact are still unknown. With so many people affected, there has never been a better time to be conscientious about the safety of the settings where our families are learning and being active.”
Currently, less than 12% of victims survive sudden cardiac arrest, but effective bystander CPR and AED defibrillation provided immediately after cardiac arrest can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival.
“CPR and particularly AED-assisted CPR saves lives. As a pediatric cardiologist, I have witnessed this more times than I ever wanted to. I have seen children and young adults who survived sudden cardiac arrest, and I have worked hard to try to help families find answers after one of their children did not survive. These events happen to physically active, fit people when they are exerting themselves. I have seen cardiac arrests at every age. The most important factor in giving a person a chance at survival is early effective AED-assisted CPR.”, says Dr. Rock.
“We are always grateful for additional resources to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and community, a need that has drastically increased with the pandemic,” says Madison Ballet CEO, Jonathan Solari. “The American Heart Association has been an incredible resource as we continue to increase the safety of all those who work, learn, create and inspirein our studios,” says Solari.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 10,000 cardiac arrests happen in the workplace annually. Knowing how to perform CPR and use an AED is a matter of life or death.
“We applaud Madison Ballet for making the health and safety of the community, their performers, and their staff a priority. The addition of AEDs and CPR trainings in organizations and workplaces is an integral part of ensuring successful outcomes should a cardiac arrest occur,” says AHA Executive Director, Carrie Nevins.
Dean Health will be administering the American Heart Association CPR/AED training course for Madison Ballet faculty and staff on November 1st, 1-3:30 pm, and November 5th, 7-9:30 pm. This training will be open to a limited number of journalists. Please contact Lexi Janssen at lexi@madisonballet.org to secure your attendance.
Contact: Lexi Janssen, Madison Ballet Marketing Manager
Phone: (262) 402-2358
Email: lexi@madisonballet.org
###