The Lucky Hearts Campaign presents 13 AEDs to Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for Police Divisions and will donate 32 AEDs to Charlotte Mecklenburg School System in CMPD’s Honor  

Charlotte, NC:  On Wednesday, August 31st, the Lucky Hearts Campaign donated 13 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) at the CMPD Metro Division, 1118 Beatties Ford Road.

The donation will help to outfit all 13 of CMPD’s divisions with at least one AED.  Public use AEDs help to increase a person’s chances of survival if they are suffering a cardiac arrest.  By CMPD outfitting all 13 team offices with an AED, it will increase their chances of possibly saving a life if and when a cardiac related emergency occurs onsite.

“These devices just may save the life of one our officers or civilian employees”, stated Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Rodney Monroe. “I pray we never have to use them, but it’s comforting to know they’re available if we do.”

Public use AEDs are quickly spreading throughout Mecklenburg County.  More and more business owners are buying AEDs to protect their employees, clients and customers.  The faster an AED is applied to a person suffering cardiac arrest, the better their chances of survival and recovery.  If a person’s heart doesn’t return to a normal rhythm before 5-7 minutes of a cardiac arrest, it could be fatal.  That is why the Lucky Hearts Campaign is helping to raise awareness and donate AEDs throughout the County.

“The Lucky Hearts is beginning to see more and more public use AEDs throughout the County,” stated Medic spokesperson Kristin Young.  “However, we need the public’s help with first calling 911 when they determine someone is in cardiac arrest and to begin chest compressions. Early CPR and defibrillation is the key to survival.”

CMPDs 13 AEDs will be placed strategically throughout their divisions.  In the event of a cardiac arrest occurring in one of their facilities, trained CMPD personnel can quickly respond in hopes of increasing a person’s chances of survival.  A cardiac arrest can occur anywhere, at any time, to anyone; that is why it is so important to deploy AEDs in places of business or large gathering areas.

In addition to the 13 AEDs being donated, CMPD along with the Lucky Hearts Campaign will in turn donate a total of 32 AEDs to Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System (CMS).  These 32 AEDs will help to outfit the remaining CMS elementary schools that do not currently have an AED onsite.  To date, all CMS High Schools and Middle Schools have at least one AED onsite.

If you or a loved one is experiencing a medical emergency, please dial 911 immediately.  Every second counts during a medical emergency, especially a cardiac related emergency.  Activating the 911 system immediately after you determine someone is in need of medical attention will greatly increase their chances of survival.  Bystanders are a crucial link in the chain of survival; that is why first responders, police and Medic need your help with saving lives.

For more information on the Lucky Hearts Campaign and AEDs or to donate an AED to a deserving organization, please visit www.luckyhearts.com.

Lucky Hearts Campaign Partnership

The Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment (MMAE) is a nonprofit corporation primarily comprised by spouses of physicians, whose sole purpose is to improve the health and quality of life for the people of Mecklenburg County.  Established 74 years ago, MMAE has supported, through funds or volunteers, more than sixty area community health organizations. 

MEDIC has served as Mecklenburg County’s EMS Agency since 1978.  With more than 400 employees and a fleet of sixty-five ambulances, mass casualty vehicles, and emergency response assets, MEDIC responds to more than 100,000 calls into the organization’s 9-1-1 emergency response dispatch center each year. 

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Download the press release >>

Learn more about The Lucky Hearts Campaign >>

The Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment has gone social!   

Now you can get the most up to date information about Alliance activities delivered straight to your Facebook page.  The new MMAE Facebook page effortlessly connects Alliance members and provides with news of MMAE’s upcoming programs and events. It’s also a link to health-related community organizations, who share a similar mission to the Alliance.

The Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment is looking forward to the opportunity Facebook offers to add visibility to their health projects and member activities.  It’s an essential tool for nonprofits and we know our members will bring the usual MMAE zeal to spreading the word in cyberspace!

To follow MMAE on Facebook, “Like” our page at http://www.facebook.com/mmaeonline today!

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Healthy eating habits equals healthy kids! Read about how one of MMAE grant recipients is using our funds to improve children’s health.

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Kids Heart Felt Health Receives $8500 Grant From the Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment

Kids Heart Felt Health has received an $8500 grant from the Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment, Inc. (MMAE). Kids Heart Felt Health is a Charlotte area nonprofit organization that provides children with hands-on activities to instill healthy-living habits and a spirit of community service. The purpose of the grant is to enable Kids Heart Felt Health to expand its program as an after-school enrichment activity for Charlotte area students.

Kids Heart Felt Health is a program that addresses the current childhood obesity problem, while extending its nutritional and healthy-living focus to the broader population of children.

“Rarely have we seen a program that is so well organized and detailed as this one,” said JoAnn MacDonald, president of MMAE. “What really impressed us about this program is that it reaches children of all ages. It is unique in that it teaches high schoolers about nutrition and gives them opportunities to teach younger children healthy-living habits.”

MMAE was founded 75 years ago and receives contributions from physicians, their families, and others interested in community health issues. MMAE has issued grants in excess of $1 million since it was founded and provides more than $60,000 in grants annually to local organizations that are committed to improving community health in the Charlotte area.

“We are very grateful to receive this grant from MMAE which will allow us to reach a broader base of children with our program,” said Claudine Lovitt, president and founder. “We are especially pleased to receive recognition from an organization that has a long-standing commitment to improving community health and quality of life.”

The Kids Heart Felt Health afterschool program is centered around teaching children nutrition through enjoyable cooking activities that include food contests as well as fitness activities. At each weekly session, children are told inspirational stories and are given weekly nutrition and character goals to motivate them to reach out to others. Kids Heart Felt Health periodically organizes healthy food drives in which its participants are able to use what they learn in the program and prepare healthy meals for others in need.

A new series of classes will begin in August and will teach kids how to prepare healthy lunches. “While there are several initiatives to improve lunches served in the schools, our program will continue to take the approach of empowering children themselves to live healthier lifestyles. That is the basis of the Kids Heart Felt Health program, and is the focus of our ‘Back to School – Healthy Lunches’ series that will begin in August,” Lovitt said.

Kids Heart Felt Health Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, which means donations to it are tax deductible. A portion of the proceeds of the program will be donated to fund research for the cure for Type 1 diabetes.

For more information or to register for programs, visit the organization’s website at http://www.kidsheartfelthealth.com

To learn more about The Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment, Inc. , and contribution opportunities, visit its website at www.mmaeonline.com

The Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment awarded health grants to eight area organizations at it’s Annual Meeting. Grants were awarded to:

CAMP CARE: $5000

This grant will underwrite 5 children, in treatment for cancer, to attend Camp Care.

KIDS HEART FELT HEALTH AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM: $8500

This is an enrichment program that gives children, ages 7-13, the necessary information to make better decisions about eating healthier food through nutrition classes and by teaching participants how to make healthier versions of their favorite foods.

ST. PETER’S HOME – McCREESH PLACE: $8,380

“Living With Loss” is a grief and loss counseling program. McCreesh Place is a  permanent 63 unit housing community for formerly homeless and disabled men. It is operated by the 2 St. Peter’s Churches on telTryon Street.

EASTER SEALS UCP in NC and VA: $2000

This grant will provide special equipment (toys, bikes) for the Healthy Strides program, which provides physical, cognitive, and emotional therapy for special needs children.

THE LUCKY HEARTS CAMPAIGN: $10,320

The Lucky Hearts Campaign is and ongoing joint program of MMAE and Medic, which provides AED’s and training to Mecklenburg non-profits. This grant will underwrite  8 AED’s for the Mecklenburg County Sheriffs’ Department.

CHARLOTTE COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC: $16,500

This program provides health care to uninsured, low-income children in Mecklenburg County.

CARE RING (FORMERLY COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES) PRO: $8,900

Now under the auspices of Care Ring, Physicians Reach Out provides medical care for the uninsured. Funds will go toward eligibility screenings and oversight.

FLORENCE CRITTENTON SERVICES: $2500

Funds will be used to support approximately 100 single mothers-to-be and their unborn children, who participate in Crittenton’s program and services.

The Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment Community Health Luncheon was featured today in the Charlotte Observer. Health Columnist, Karen Garloch, writes of the opportunity to learn more about Dr. John Ratey’s ground-breaking research on the connection between exercise and the brain, specifically in children.

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Expert on link between exercise and learning will speak Thursday

“As educators across the Carolinas cut physical education and athletics from school budgets, they might do well to listen to Dr. John Ratey.

A Harvard medical school psychiatrist, Ratey is author of a 2008 book that caught the attention of many who care about education and started what Ratey calls a “movement to get movement back into schools.”

In “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” Ratey discusses brain research that shows exercise is necessary for learning.

“There’s lots of evidence now that exercise actually improves test scores,” Ratey said in a phone interview.

He’ll be in Charlotte Thursday to speak at the Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment’s annual Community Health Luncheon. He’ll talk about how even moderate exercise can sharpen thinking, enhance memory, relieve stress and depression, and slow the effects of aging.”

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Ratey will be speaking at the MMAE Community Health Luncheon on April 14, 2011 at 11:30 AM.

Read the article in the Charlotte Observer >>
Learn more about the MMAE SPARK Luncheon >>