SAGINAW, MI — Heart disease is taking a toll on the Great Lakes Bay Region, and the Michigan CardioVascular Institute Foundation is changing to take it on.
The foundation is changing its name to Pulse3 Foundation, said President and Chief Executive Officer Diane Fong. The private foundation will become a public charity, Fong said, and add five members to its board of directors from Saginaw, Bay and Midland counties.
“Heart disease is bigger than one organization,” she said. “Our goals, passion and commitment remains unchanged.”
The death rate from heart disease is higher in Michigan and the region than the national average.
Pulse3’s vision of a community free of heart disease remains strong with community-based, widespread, regional support, Fong said.
The foundation’s programs include the Run for Your Heart Fitness and Wellness Program, Run for Your Heart Community Races, Shocks & Saves alert system for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator emergencies, deployment of AED units in the community, CPR/ AED training, community education programs, college scholarships and continuing education programs for healthcare professionals.
One example of expanded programming is the Run for Your Heart program, Fong said. The foundation will partner with the Michigan State University Extension’s diabetes prevention program. The first 20 people who sign up will receive a scholarship to Pulse3’s Run for Your Heart program.
Fong said the charity also is expanding the PulsePoint smartphone app to Isabella, Clare and Gratiot counties. The app sends alerts to people trained in CPR when someone in public collapses from cardiac arrest.
Read the full post by The Saginaw News reporter Lindsay Knake on MLive.
