Activities

MATTHEW KRUG FOUNDATION

updated on September 8, 2009

MKF Activities & Programs

As discussed on the Mission page, we have activities and programs in four areas. The activities for each area are discussed below.

Education of the Public

We will use every means and type of media to educate the public about SCA and HCM. Presently, we educate by way of the web site that you are reviewing, by an "E-newsletter", and by making presentations to individual groups and at public events such as health fairs.

If you would like to receive the Matthew Krug Foundation Newsletter, you may subscribe by inserting your email address in the box below and clicking the "Go" button. A subscription form should appear. Complete the form and you will be added to our list of subscribers. If you have problems, go to our "Contact Us" page and send an email. Someone from the Matthew Krug Foundation will contact you.

If you would like to review previous newsletters, click on the link "Previous Newsletters" above.

To achieve our goal of educating the public and medical community about SCA and HCM, The Matthew Krug Foundation will constantly look for opportunities to network with other organizations that have similar goals. To date, we have formed affliliations with the Parent Heart Watch (our primary national organization), the Wilmington Health Planning Council, the New Castle County Chapter of Safe Kids (R) Coalition, the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA), the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA), and the Delaware Association of Non-profit Agencies (DANA). In addition, we have developed networking relationships with several other organizations. Click on the Links tab on the navigator bar to review several of these organizations.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association's "Saving Lives in Schools and Sports"

As mentioned above, we have a networking relationship with the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association (SCAA). SCAA has produced a booklet that is an educational supplement on the importance of the immediate bystander actions of calling 9-1-1, doing CPR, and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) in the prevention of unnecessary deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). As a courtesy to the Matthew Krug Foundation and the public, SCAA has allowed us to provide a downloadable copy of the booklet on our web site.

Presentations to the Public

The Matthew Krug Foundation will participate in as many health and safety related events through out the State as possible. To review the upcoming and past events, click on the Events tab on the navigator bar at the top of the page.

Improving Access to AEDs

What is an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)?

An AED is a medical device – adapted for use by laypeople - that delivers an electric shock to a heart that is not beating or is beating abnormally. This condition is known as sudden cardiac arrest. The shock returns the heart to normal rhythm.

To learn more about the different AED products, click on the AED Manufacturers Information link below.

How to Obtain an AED

Use the link below to learn how to obtain an AED in the State of Delaware.

Matthew Krug Foundation Activities

The Matthew Krug Foundation has the following activities regarding AEDs;

AEDs in Delaware Schools

Many Delaware schools have AEDs. We want all schools to have at least one AED. Many schools need multiple AEDs. To learn about the status of AEDs in schools in the State of Delaware, please use the link below.

Improving Pre-participation (Sports) Physical Exams (PPE)

In 2005, the State of Delaware upgraded the PPE requirements for secondary schools. [See the State of Delaware Activities section below.] However, to improve the chances of identifying heart abnormalities, the Matthew Krug Foundation would like to see at least an EKG as part of the PPE. The Foundation is advocating to the State and DIAA to further upgrade the PPE to include EKGs.

Providing "Free" Heart Screenings in Delaware

Unfortunately, at this time we have not found any hospital or medical group that is willing to help us organize a heart screening in Delaware. We have inquired of both Christiana Care and A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children, but neither organization is interested. We will not give up or efforts. We know that preventative medicine is the best approach. We have to find some way of convincing the medical community that it is the best cure.

Recently, a few independent medical groups have begun providing heart screening services to the public. The Matthew Krug Foundation will research the feasibility of using one of these independent medical groups to carry out a heart screening in Delaware.

State of Delaware Heart Health Activities & Programs

Delaware Public Access to Defibrillation (PAD) Program

The State of Delaware through the Office of Emergency Medical Services manages a Public Access to Defibrillation (PAD) Program. Through this program, the State distributes AEDs to qualifing organizations. To review the State's PAD Program and the historical AED distributiions, use the Delaware PAD Program link.

DE Senate Concurrent Resolution 20 - Feasibility of Mandated CPR/AED Training in High Schools

In our October 2007 newsletter, we reported that Delaware Senate Concurrent Resolution 20 requested that the Department of Education study the feasibility of integrating mandatory Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) / Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training into high school courses." Members of the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Youth Heart Watch, Office of EMS, Stew Krug of the Matthew Krug Foundation, and others were invited by the Department of Education to participate on the study team. The group met several times in the Fall of 2007. The feasibility study was issued effective December 2007. Use the link below to review the study report.

National Activities and Programs

To review some of the key national activities and programs related to heart health, the fight against sudden cardiac arrest and against hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, click on the link below.