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Event at Rent One to help fight heart disease

BY JOHN D. HOMAN, The Southern

Friday, August 22, 2008 11:40 PM CDT

MARION - The Prairie STAT Heart program at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale will join forces with the Southern Illinois Miners Wednesday evening to help fight heart disease.

With the event dubbed "Black Out Night" at Rent One Park, the Miners players will be wearing all-black uniforms to commemorate the occasion.

Miners General Manager Tim Arseneau said he believes the players will be excited about the promotion.

"I think it's great and believe the players will think it's great, too," he said. "Anytime we are able to lend some help to such a worthy cause, we're glad to do so. Virtually all of us know someone who has been affected in one way or another by heart disease."

Arseneau said the uniforms will be auctioned off after the game with all proceeds going to the American Heart Association.

Pam Shadowens, coordinator of the STAT Heart program at Memorial Hospital, said Prairie physicians and staff are excited to take part in the activity as part of the agency's community outreach.

"What we are finding among patients who have been saved through our STAT Heart program is that age and gender are irrelevant," Shadowens said. "Heart disease doesn't discriminate in that regard. We've treated patients in their 30s and others in their 90s. We absolutely want to promote the benefits of an active heart-healthy lifestyle among Southern Illinoisans."

The Prairie STAT Heart program was one of the first in the country to focus on streamlining emergency care to meet the national goal of providing angioplasty (a non-surgical procedure to treat diseased arteries) within 90 to 120 minutes from a patient's arrival at the community hospital, often referred to as door-to-balloon time.

Since the launch of the program in December 2004 in Springfield and in August 2007 in Carbondale, the program has served 358 patients in central Illinois and 65 patients in Southern Illinois who suffer from ST-elevated acute myocardial infarctions, or the worst kind of heart attack.

Southern Illinois Healthcare spokeswoman Rosslind Rice said door-to-balloon time at Carbondale is about 90 minutes on the average or about twice as fast as the national average of 180 minutes. Rice said Joyce Sine, a registered nurse at Herrin Hospital who is a STAT Heart survivor, will throw out the first pitch Wednesday. Catching that toss will be Prairie Heart Institute cardiologist Dr. Cesar Coello.

Rice said each Miners fan who enters the ballpark that night will receive a Bingo card and will have a chance to win prizes like a new treadmill or fitness club membership by playing Blackout. They will also receive a free commemorative Black Out T-shirt.

"We appreciate what the Miners are doing to help us out and hope the fans who attend the game and all of Southern Illinois will do what they can to help us in this public awareness and fundraising endeavor."

john.homan@thesouthern.com

351-5805