Chicago Heart Health Initiative Receives $380,000 Boost from National Campaign Winner
TL;DR
Laura Merrick won the 2025 American Heart Association Leaders of Impact campaign by raising over $380,000, funding blood pressure hubs and CPR training to gain community health advantages.
The campaign implements blood pressure hubs in 18 Chicago organizations, provides free monitors and educational materials, and establishes Cardiac Emergency Response Plans with CPR and AED training.
This initiative saves lives by increasing CPR education and equitable healthcare access, making communities safer and reducing cardiac arrest fatalities for a healthier tomorrow.
A personal story of survival inspired a national campaign that placed automated blood pressure kiosks and trained hundreds to become emergency responders in their neighborhoods.
Found this article helpful?
Share it with your network and spread the knowledge!
Laura Merrick, winner of the American Heart Association's 2025 national Leaders of Impact campaign, has directed over $380,000 in raised funds toward initiatives aimed at reducing deaths from cardiac arrest and hypertension in Chicago. Her motivation stems from her mother's survival of a cardiac arrest due to bystander CPR, highlighting the critical need for widespread emergency preparedness. The initiatives address a pressing public health issue: more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the U.S., with a 90% fatality rate.
Merrick's campaign will establish blood pressure hubs in 18 community-based organizations throughout the Chicago area. These hubs, implemented through the American Heart Association's Embracing Community Care initiative, will provide free blood pressure monitors, educational materials on proper self-measurement, interpretation of results, and referrals to local medical providers. An automated self-measurement blood pressure kiosk will also be installed in the city to promote hypertension awareness and management. By expanding access to blood pressure monitoring, Merrick's campaign aims to equip more Chicago residents with the tools to prevent cardiovascular emergencies before they become fatal.
In addition to hypertension screening, the campaign will fund Cardiac Emergency Response Plans for the same 18 organizations. These plans include CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training for staff, volunteers, and community members designated as Cardiac Emergency Response Team members. The American Heart Association, which educates millions in CPR annually, emphasizes these skills as vital given that cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, according to 2023 statistics. Merrick stated her goal is to make "lifesaving preparedness a standard - not an exception" across Chicago, with a focus on communities historically underserved.
The Leaders of Impact campaign, which ran from September 18 to November 5, involved over 300 local nominees and 1,200 team members across 72 communities nationwide, all working to raise awareness and funds for heart health. Lee A. Shapiro, volunteer chairperson of the American Heart Association, praised Merrick and fellow nominees for their significant community impact. This campaign represents a targeted approach to addressing health disparities, as cardiovascular disease outcomes often vary significantly across different demographic and geographic groups.
Curated from NewMediaWire
