Deputization Program

The Activation of the Community in Heart Attack Response

In concept, the word activation applies going from a latent phase to one of a heightened activity. In regards to the problem of heart attacks, knowledge of what takes place is not enough. Knowing and responding is what is needed. To this extent the St. Agnes Hospital has put together a pilot program for answering this problem of activating the knowledge of events taking place in heart attacks. It is called the Deputy Early Heart Attack Care Giver Program. It takes its origin from the early and wild west in which each township had a sheriff and two deputies. In times of crisis (outlaws coming to town, indians on the warpath, etc.) the sheriff activated the community by deputizing all the people in the town. To this extent the heart attack problem can be likened to a crisis in which we also need to deputize Americans to take action to fight this #1 health problem.

The program instituted here at St. Agnes Hospital has to do with delivering a creative message of Early Heart Attack Care using a fifteen minute film, and then challenging the individuals to see if they truly understand what early heart attack care is all about. Once accomplished the individuals are deputized by standing up and taking a solemn oath to intervene when a person in their midst is experiencing early signs of a heart attack. It has been our experience that such individuals are truly moved by this approach. They are given a badge which they are to proudly wear displaying the words "Emergency or Early Heart Attack Care Giver". If questioned by other individuals, they take the time to explain what this is all about. They then become educators as well.

Hopefully this first generation approach can spread across the communities of America in order to activate and educate Americans about the preventive aspects needed in early heart attack care.

Thus the Deputy Early Heart Attack Care Giver Program is an activated community program designed to respond aggressively to the Nation's #1 health problem, i.e. heart attacks. In today's world we don't have Marshals coming upon the scene or Lone Rangers present in our midst, but what we do have are millions of Americans who can be deputized into action once taught the message of early heart attack care.

With this approach St. Agnes Hospital has set about educating its own community by first educating their 3,000 employees. All employees are given the chance to participate in this program. It is hoped that the possibility (wiping out heart disease) will have been solidified by the St. Agnes Hospital Program, and then spread to other communities in our nation in an all out effort to win the war against heart attack at home. The activation of the deputization program thus becomes a movement to counter heart attacks.

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