Low Cost Heart Screenings for Student Athletes and Community Members

    /24-7PressRelease/ - IRVINE, CA, July 26, 2008 - The National Cheer Safety Foundation announces their alliance with Heartfelt Cardiac Projects and Bogifit Youth Conditioning Center to offer preventive heart screenings for student athletes and community members. Cheering for Your Life Heart Screenings are a part of the NCSF's comprehensive Cheer Injury Prevention Campaign launched earlier this year. The first heart screening will take place at Bogifit in Anaheim Hills on Saturday, August 9, 2008 from 10:00am until 4:00pm. Screenings are an $85 tax deductible donation. Pre-registration is preferred by calling Bogifit at 1-714-701-9931.

Every three days a high school athlete dies from sudden cardiac arrest and over 5000 young Americans die every year. The National Cheer Safety Foundation funded and facilitated by parents of children who have been injured in cheerleading, is dedicated to preventing these tragedies. "We are so dedicated to athletes receiving heart screenings that we will sponsor any child that cannot afford the cost, "proclaims Kimberly Archie, NCSF Executive Director.

The screening program, which includes an Electrocardiogram (EKG) and Echocardiogram (Echo), the best tools for detection of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, is open to all student athletes and community members. Alternatively, these services can cost $1500-$1800 at outpatient facilities and are not often available to young people without symptoms. Unfortunately, every year, once deemed healthy children die suddenly, with no warning symptoms beforehand.

Founder of Heartfelt Cardiac Projects Holly Morrell explains, "The required sports physicals are inadequate in terms of cardiac evaluation and kids are being cleared to participate in sports without their families knowing whether their hearts are healthy or not. We all learn of the tragedies in the media but rarely are parents given the information they need to protect their own children from sudden cardiac death." Cardiac screenings are now available to Orange County communities through our nonprofit community service programs. Early detection saves lives, to learn more go to www.heartfeltcardiacprojects.org. Heart Screenings are provided by the Dick Butkus Center for Cardiovascular Wellness.

As the nation' s premier parent found cheerleading safety organization, the National Cheer Safety Foundation (NCSF) is dedicated to raising the bar in cheer safety to reduce injury, disability, and death from cheerleading injuries and assist the families affected by catastrophic cheerleading injuries. The NCSF has working partnerships with the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research and the National Center for Sports Safety. For more information on the only not-for-profit educational organization for cheer parents, visit www.nationalcheersafety.com. To report cheerleading injuries for research go to www.cheerinjuryreport.com .

The National Cheer Safety Foundation is the first national organization dedicated to educating sport parents on cheer safety. For further information, please contact us at 800-596-7860.

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